The Missing Redhead
by Django1992
Summary: Naomi's always been curious about the world. Emily just kind of stumbled into it. So when Emily disappears, Naomi starts snooping around, what she doesn't expect to find is a Man with a blue box and a journey that neither girl could dream of. Will be updating every Tuesday.
1. The Missing Redhead

**A/N: Been a while since I've written anything but since series 7 is around the corner I thought I'd give this a go. I apologise for any rust in my writing. To anyone that reads this, I hope you enjoy it and thank you.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Skins or Doctor Who, just borrowing their characters for a while. **

**Chapter One: The Missing Redhead**

Naomi can't help but chew feverishly at the end of the pen. She is tackling a particularly open question on her latest politics mock exam. "Bloody Brown…" she mutters to herself and recoils as Kieran sends a sharp tut her way. She glares at her 'step-dad', although she refuses to call him that, he will always be Kieran, the pervy old guy who tried it on, to her.

Naomi leans back in her chair and sighs. She's usually so much more into this. She loves politics, she really does, but right now she doesn't care about the misdoings of overpaid politicians or the receding economical climate that they've created. Because something…something has changed lately. She's not a self-centred person, she doesn't analyse every aspect of her life, or fret over past mistakes or care about grudges or arguments…but the world has changed and that's something even Naomi, the Ice Queen, can't ignore. We are not alone in the Universe…or at least it would seem that way. A couple of years ago a ship of unknown origin crashed into the River Thames, then there was the ship on Christmas day, the Star over London, the little marshmallow men that she'd seen all over the news and so much more. Everyone pretends like it's okay, that the universe hasn't become instantly bigger, but they're all liars. The Human Race never changes.

Naomi lets her eyes dart around the classroom. Its occupants are the same familiar faces that she sees everyday. Her gaze falls on Cook who is sending a suggestive wink her way, she raises an eyebrow at him, and he brings his hand to his mouth, pressing his tongue against the inside of his cheek and giving her the universal sign for a blowjob. Her eyes drop down to the pen, which is resting between her lips, and she pulls it away, sending him a look of disgust. He laughs mutedly, even then it's a big dramatic motion, but Kieran doesn't notice. He winks at her and she returns the gesture with her middle finger. He nods towards the clock on the wall, taps his wrist and cocks his hand towards his mouth in a drinking motion. She nods. She'll go for drinks with him after this.

Her eyes move over to Katie, who, in her second year of Roundview, has changed a lot. Not that Naomi knows her; in fact, she's never spoken to the girl. It's pretty much a well-known fact that Katie Fitch is a massive bitch, but this year she's been quiet, a shell of herself ever since her twin dropped out of college. Emily. Now, that is a girl that Naomi has had some conversations with…one conversation with. Naomi shakes her head, refusing to relive that memory or any that may relate to the redhead. Katie must feel her gaze because the brunette snaps her head towards the blonde, a steely gazed fixed upon her features. Naomi's eyes snap back down towards her mock paper. She sighs and leans forward, half-heartedly starting to scribble an answer to the question.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Cook howls and slams his empty shot glass down onto the table. Naomi follows after him, but with a tad more grace. Cook sends her a wink before he clicks at the barmaid to get the same again. "So, Blondie, how'd you do?"

Naomi is wiping away the remains of a rather disgusting batch of Sambuca when he asks her the question. "Aced it."

Cook claps his hands together and laughs. "Knew you would. Ready for the real thing, then, yeah?"

Naomi nods. "What about you?"

"Me? Ah, you know me, Naomikins, didn't even open the paper, did I? I'll be fine." Naomi swallows her concern. They don't really talk about the important stuff, it's an unspoken agreement. Best friends, always there for each other, but never to push each other. Cook's hand is already sliding round the empty shot glass. He brings it to his mouth, using his tongue to rescue every drop of alcohol from its glass prison.

"You're disgusting." She grimaces at his shameless antics and can't help but playfully push at his shoulder.

"You love it." His grin is cheeky.

"No, I tolerate it." Naomi looks away from her best friend, around to the other occupants of thepub. Keith's usual lot is in. Old fuddy duddies and a couple of underage chavvy fucks that Keith doesn't mind serving as long as they keep themselves to themselves.

"What you thinking about?" She doesn't know. Not really.

"The world."

"Up in the clouds again, are we, Blondie?" the barmaid hands Cook a pint from of the counter and he takes a hefty gulp. "What you thinking about the world, then? How you're gonna change it and all that?"

"No. I don't know. Maybe?" Naomi hates to be uncertain. All her life she's known one hundred percent where she wanted to end up. She knew A to B, but now, now that's all slipping away from her.

"Well, that's deep and shit."

Naomi can't help but laugh at how simple Cook can make things sometimes. She rolls her eyes. "You wouldn't know depth if it bit you on the nose, James."

"Oh, trust me, Naomikins, I've been up to my nuts in guts plenty of times. I know deep." He waggles his eyebrows at her suggestively. That's when Naomi realises her mistake. Naomi has chosen the wrong moment to take a large mouthful of Cook's beer and chokes on it, spitting it back onto the counter in shock. She can hear the sound of Cook's hand thumping on the table and his roaring laugh. She composes herself and eyes him steely. He's not fazed though.

"You're vile."

"Love you too, Blondie," Cook reaches for his pint and takes another hefty gulp. He then pats Naomi on the shoulder. "What's eating you?"

"Nothing." She insists.

"Fuck off, something ain't right with you. So, out with it. Fed up of you being more a grumpy fuck then you usually are."

Naomi doesn't reply, well, she doesn't reply initially. Cook just gives her a pointed look and she caves. "Why doesn't anybody talk about it?"

"About what, Blondie?"

"Aliens." She almost snaps at him because she's just been dying to say it**.** Cook's eyes widen in surprise and he leans closer to his friend.

His tone lowers. "Oi, keep it down, no one wants to hear about that stuff."

Naomi follows suit. "But why? It's not like it's some massive secret." Cook leans back in on his stool. His lip twists in thought. He grabs his pints and downs the rest of it, slamming it on the table and collecting his jacket in the same motion. It's quite smooth, Naomi can't help but think, but she doesn't have time to dwell as his hand wraps round her arm and pulls her from her seat.

"Oi."

Cook doesn't answer just pushes open the door to the pub and throws a hand towards Keith. Once outside Cook releases Naomi and zips up his jacket.

"What the fuck was that about, James?" Naomi glares at the boy.

"Calm it, Blondie, just didn't wanna have that conversation in there, 'tis all," He holds up his hands. "Now, let's go for a walk, shall we? It's a lovely evening." He holds out his bent arm towards her. She slips her arm through his and they start to stroll down the street towards nowhere in particular. "So…" he starts.

"Aliens."

"Yep, aliens. Big old green blokes and lasses that live in the sky."

"Really helpful."

"Well, what do you expect Blondie? I'm no expert on…this sorta thing."

"Neither am I! I don't even know why I care." Naomi bites her lip in thought. She's not a fanatic. Sure, she loves a good conspiracy as much as the next person but…it's like it's frustrating because everyone is just being stubborn. Ignoring the truth. I guess that's why she cares…because her mum cares as well. That's who they are. Protest rallies, uncovering the truth and justice have always been important things in her upbringing. Thanks Mum…

"It ain't a bad thing that you do. People like to hide, it's safer that way, to ignore all the crazy stuff so that their lives ain't as boring." He has a point and Naomi can't argue. Everything seems so small in comparison now…so…so pointless.

"It's too big."

"What is?"

"The world, James."

"Don't think about it, Blondie." It's at this point that Naomi realises that the most emotionally deep conversation the pair have had is about extra-terrestrials. She should really roll her eyes at this moment because it's so completely mentalbut she can't.

"I can't help it. It's so obvious." Naomi finds herself looking up towards the stars in the night sky. She watches them as they slowly flicker, taking in their vast scope and capability. She rests her head on her best friend's shoulder. She doesn't know why she can't let this go.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It's two weeks later when Naomi's working a shift in the local corporate coffee shop - yes she does feel like a sell-out but all those protests don't pay for themselves - that she sees Emily for the first time in months. She's hardly paying attention, it's hard to when a queue is lining up outside the door; everyone begins to look the same. A small hand gently waves in front of her distant gaze, breaking her from her thoughts.

"Hey, Naomi." It's not the Emily she knew. This Emily wasn't the girl she'd seen months before. That girl had been shy, closed off, practically attached to her sister…this girl was bold, confident and happy.

"Oh…hey, Emily." Naomi can't help but shift uncomfortably. She always has done round this girl…ever since…no. Silence falls over the pair. Emily looks at the blonde expectantly and Naomi's eyes snap open in realisation. She grabs an empty cup from the side and turns towards the redhead. "What…what can I get for you?"

She tries not to notice the way that Emily bites her lip in thought. It's adorable. Naomi's eyes shut in frustration. "I think I'll have the…" Emily trails off. Naomi grabs her black marker, pulls off the cap and holds it over the empty cup. "…the soy vanilla latte. Yep, that's what I'd like, please." Emily's smile is so full. Naomi scolds herself.

"Okay, cool." She doesn't mean to come off as bitchy…well, she usually does, she's a bitch, she knows that, but she doesn't want to be at this precise moment. Naomi writes down Emily's name on the empty cup, lingering a bit longer than necessary hoping that Emily will move along and she can serve the next customer, but apparently Emily has other ideas.

"So…how are you?" It's awkward. They've never really spoken so Naomi doesn't really understand why Emily's making such an effort.

"Fine," Naomi bites her lip. "You?"

"Me? I'm great. Fantastic, even," Emily says with an almost distant smile. Naomi can't peg this girl. What's happened to her? "How's college? Nearly finished now?"

"Not long now. Final exams round the corner." Naomi nods her head slightly along with what she is saying.

"You'll do great," Emily offers. They slip back into silence as Naomi begins to prepare Emily's coffee. No more words are spoken, her hands go to work. Naomi finishes placing the lip on top of the coffee cup and hands it to the shorter girl, who takes it with a sweet smile.

"Thank you." Naomi watches the redhead as she heads towards the exit, she doesn't care that the next customer is becoming impatient, in this moment it's almost as if Emily has become the most alluring thing in the world to Naomi.

She doesn't feel her lips move, but they do. "Emily!" the redhead turns towards the blonde with an amused expression on her face.

"Yes?"

"What… about you? What are you doing these days?" She's curious.

Emily smirks. "Many things, Naomi. Many, many things." And then she's gone. Naomi can't help but feel disappointed by the answer.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

That's where it begins. Naomi doesn't really want to call it obsession. Because she's not obsessed. She's not. She's just curious…curious about Emily. Ever since the day at the coffee shop she hasn't been able to get the petite redhead out of her mind. So, she starts off small and sends a couple of emails to her tutor enquiring about Emily's disappearance. She's frustrated by her tutor's reply that the information is confidential and they can't tell her any more.

Her mother tries to help, and really she does feel a bit pathetic for asking, but she doesn't really know where to start. Her mum doesn't ask questions and she appreciates that.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Why don't you just ask her sister, dear?" Gina asks her over a cup of tea.

"Her sister's a bitch." Naomi grumbles and scrapes butter onto her toast, a tad more forcefully than necessary.

"Naomi," Gina scolds and the younger blonde rolls her eyes. "If you want to know the truth you're just going to have to bite the bullet, aren't you, dear?"

"Katie can bite the bullet." Naomi grumbles to herself but concedes. She rises from the chair, stuffing the remains of her toast into her mouth and waves her mother goodbye.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The stub of her cigarette hitting the floor is like a starting gun for Naomi. She takes a second to crush the end of her death stick into the ground with her heel before advancing on the petite brunette. She's all alone, which is what Naomi had been waiting for, they've just got out of class and Katie is retrieving something from her locker. Perfect.

When Katie slams her locker door shut Naomi is leaning on the other side. "Hey." Katie takes a step back in shock and glares at the other girl.

"What the fuck are you doing? You scared the shit out of me!" Naomi doesn't say anything just watches the other girl cautiously. "What do you want, freak?"

"I…"

"Jesus, spit it out! I haven't got all day, you know?" Katie practically growls and Naomi feels like retracting her previous analysis. The bitch was still very much in there.

"Your sister."

Katie's demeanour suddenly changes. "What about her?" It's almost protective.

"I was…She…" Naomi doesn't really have a clue what she's going to say. She's never really been a liar. "I…she was supposed to be working on a project with me earlier in the year. Yeah…she had some important files that I need for my portfolio otherwise I'm not going to pass…." Katie seems to buy it. Well, she seems to back down.

"Tough." It's not nasty or laced with venom, it's as if Katie is stating a fact. Naomi's eyebrows crease in confusion.

"What?"

"She's gone, Naomi. You know, travelling. She's not around anymore. I can't help you…sorry." She does seem sorry. And that's when Naomi notices how tired Katie really looks up close. Heavy bags lay under the girl's eyes, her make up is poorly applied; the blemishes on her skin almost uncared for and her body language; there's no fight. Her shoulder's hang low, her arms are closed off and her face is hard.

"Oh…okay, well, thanks anyway." Naomi wants to be out of here now. It feels like she is almost intruding on something very secretive. She wants to know more, but now isn't the right time. She throws the strap of her bag over her shoulder, flashes Katie a tight smile and starts to retreat from the brunette.

"She left some stuff…" Katie calls. "You can, like, come and have a look, if you want?" Katie offers and it's good enough for Naomi. "Come round later tonight, yeah? Round sevenish?"

"Cool."

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Katie's right. When she arrives at the Fitch's house it seems like Katie is the only occupant of the house for the evening, but when the brunette leads her up to her room it becomes clear that Emily is as long gone as Katie says. Emily's half of the room lays completely bare, no posters on the wall, no sheets on the bed, every single inch of the redhead's half of the room is completely gone, well, from what she can tell it has. She's never been here before. Katie starts to search around in her cupboard and pulls out a large box, placing it on Emily's bed. "Here's all the stuff she left behind. What you're looking for might be in here."

Naomi sends Katie a grateful smile and begins to empty the contents of the box. It's nothing of importance, she can tell that after the first couple of tacky bracelets leave the box. It's bits and bobs, nothing complete, all missing something. It's symbolic; Naomi can't help but feel, of how Katie is obviously feeling without her twin now. She feels sorry for Katie Fitch for the first time in her life.

She doesn't know what she's looking for…in fact…she isn't looking for anything specific because there isn't anything of importance to Emily in this box but she continues to look regardless.

"What course did you say this was for?" Katie questions from her bed.

"Errr…Politics." Naomi says without thinking.

"Emily doesn't take politics." It's sharp, Katie's rage coming back in full force. Shit, she's been careless. Naomi decides it's the time to be honest. She turns towards the twin, whose face is one of thunder.

"Listen, Katie…" she begins.

"Get out." Katie hisses. Naomi wants to stay and argue with the twin. To find out where Emily has been or where she is because she can't help but feel that it's important…but she doesn't. Retreats with her tail between her legs back to the safety of her bedroom and ponders more on the whereabouts of the little redhead.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Oi, oi, Blondie, have I got news for you!" Cook hollers down the phone at her. Her groggy eyes shoot to the alarm clock on her nightstand. It reads 4:12am. She rubs with her hands at her tired eyes and sits up with a sigh.

"It's four-fucking-am, James! What the fuck do you want?" She snaps. She really isn't a morning person, especially not this early.

"Calm it, Naomikins, I'm only calling cuz Gina told me about your new obsession. Wondered where you'd been lately. Letting out your inner lezza?"

"Goodbye, Cook." She'd be having words with her loose-lipped mother in the morning. She goes to hang up.

"Hold your fucking horses, Blondie! Reason I'm calling is cuz I've seen her! I've seen Emilio and, fuck me, if she aint looking banging tonight, man." Cook calls and Naomi slowly brings the phone back to her ear.

"Jeggers, man. She's been here all night apparently or so Thommo says. I've only just got here cuz I was off getting me end away, but I've seen her. She's just about to get in a taxi, man. Thought I'd let youse know. Tell your mum I'll be round for dinner tomorrow, yeah?"

"You're a leech."

"I'm your leech." He replies smugly and Naomi can't help but laugh with him.

"See you, Blondie." Slowly lowering her phone back down to the bed. She bites her lip…. it's verging on obsession now. Fuck it.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Come on, hurry up, you cow!" Emily pushes Katie out of the taxi and onto the pavement. Emily flashes the taxi driver a smile and hands him a couple of notes. "Sorry about her."

She jumps out onto the pavement and wraps her arm around her sister's shoulders. "Come on, Kay, let's get you home and into bed." Katie's head lulls onto her shoulder and kisses her sister on the cheek causing both girls to burst out into laughter. "You're drunk."

"I'm not drunk!" Katie insists, pushing her sister playfully. "I just missed you, bitch!"

"I think the lady doth protest too much!" Emily slurs back at her sister and the pair laughs as they make their way towards their house. Katie stumbles up towards the door, but Emily stops a flash of blonde.

"What are you doing here, Naomi?" Emily's voice is a mixture of shock and contempt.

"I…" She can't find her voice. It's lost. She doesn't even know why she's here. "I just wanted to see you…" It's pathetic, all three of them know it is, but it's all she's got.

"Why?"

"I…don't know." She feels like a fool.

"She's stalking you, Ems. It's weird. She lied to me so she could get into your room as well. Stupid lezza with a crush." Katie's words evoke something long forgotten in both of the girls and their eyes instantly snap away from each other. Naomi swallows hard. She can't think about that.

"Is that true, Naomi?" She can't stand the tone in Emily's voice. They're not friends, but everything about that tone suggests that they may never be now. Disappointment.

"Yeah, she's fucking mental, Ems! She's been asking everyone about you and—"

"Shut up, Katie,'" Emily snaps and her twin goes silent. "Katie," her voice is softer now. "I'll see you upstairs, okay? I'll deal with this." Katie looks like she wants to argue but she nods, heading towards the house. Emily eyes Naomi wearily while they wait for the other twin to enter the house. At the click of the door closing Emily takes a couple of slow steps towards the blonde.

"What are you doing here?"

"I…I don't know." She repeats because she honestly doesn't, but something is driving her towards Emily. Some unrelenting force and better it be this than her curiosity about the ever expanding universe…

"You need to stop."

"Stop what?" Naomi's face contorts in confusion.

"This. Coming here. Looking for me." Naomi's gaze drops.

"Why?"

"Because…it's weird…and because you'll regret it, Naomi. I know you don't think you will, but you will. I promise." It's Emily turn to bite her lip this time.

"What if I don't care?" She's always been stubborn, one trait that she is most definitely proud of.

Emily smirks, it almost looks like admiration but she can't be sure. "This is bigger than you."

"The world's a big place."

"So is the universe," Emily's face becomes sad. Emily reaches into her pocket and wrestles out the keys to her house. She looks towards the door, towards Katie and her family, but turns back to Naomi with a sigh. "You don't know me…"

"I know."

"You won't see me again." Emily generally looks upset by this. Her eyes are sad as she looks at Naomi one last time. "Goodbye, Naomi."

"There's something…. something drawing me to you, Emily." She hopes it'll convince Emily to stay, but it doesn't.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It's surprising how crushed Naomi feels by the whole thing. She had been so close…so close to…well, she's not sure what but she was close to something. Close to Emily. She lies in her room for the next two days, music blaring loudly through her speakers as she tries to fathom some sort of explanation for her behaviour. She's not an obsessive person. She doesn't even like people that much really. There's just Mum and James and at the best of times they'll piss her off, but this is strange.

Her and James decide to go out for a night on the town. She thinks she sees Emily in the club, even follows a small redhead to the bathroom before she realises that it's not Emily after all. They drink way too much Sambuca and she pukes up her guts in the back alley of Jeggers. Cook still tries it on, though; she thinks she'd be disappointed if he didn't. She expects it now. It's a part of their friendship. He helps her walk home, her legs getting the better of her and carries her up to her room. This is the part where he doesn't try anything on because they are friends and she loves him for it. "Sleep tight, Blondie." He kisses her on the head and heads downstairs to the sofa.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"G, pass us the kettle, will you?" Cook calls, ushering the blonde woman with his hand while balancing his cigarette in his mouth. Gina is animatedly talking on the phone to one of her friends but hands the boy the kettle, then he pours two cups of tea and sets one down on the table. He looks towards the clock on the wall and smirks. Naomi is always up at the same time with a hangover everyday: 11.45. No reason. Just a fact. Cook smirks as he hears the sound of the floorboards creaking above his head as the clock strikes quarter to twelve.

He watches as the incredible hungover blonde with the frazzled hair sits down at the table across from him. Cook is pouring a bowl of cereal; Frosties. "Feeling peachy, Naomikins?"

"Oh, yeah, fucking perfect, James." Naomi grumbles, sipping at the tea.

"Language, Naomi, I'm on the phone." Gina calls from the other side of the kitchen causing her daughter to shoot daggers at her mother. Cook chuckles at his friend's scolding.

"Mummy's girl."

"Cunt." She shoots back and Cook's eyebrows shoot up.

"Feeling extra bitchy today, eh?" He offers her the packet of cereals but she shakes him away with her hand.

"Cheers for the tea," She mutters and Cook gives her a wink. "I saw Emily the other day."

"Still stalking your lesbian lover, then?" Gina passes by Cook and head's for the living room where she can get a bit of peace and quiet. Cook's hand is toying with the handle of his cup.

"I think she knew I'd been looking for her."

"Why are you looking for her, Blondie?" Naomi's face drops. "Now, don't get me wrong, man, those Fitch twins are booming but I thought you hated them. Why the change of heart?"

Naomi opens her mouth to speak but never gets the chance to finish because the look on her mother's face when she rushes back to the door instantly takes her from her seat. Cook follows quickly after. Gina stops in front of the TV, where images from the daily news are flickering on the screen.

"Jesus." It's not clear who said that. It's a report from a news helicopter; the large aircraft is circling what looks to be a whirlpool that has formed in the middle of the Thames.

"It is unclear what has caused this phenomenon to form in the middle of the River Thames, but one thing is clear: No damage has come to the City of London or its residents. Prime Minister Gordon Brown is meeting with the President of the United States as we speak to discuss how to deal with the situation. No one seems to be able to get close to the whirlpool apart from one person, a girl with red hair, who was seen on a platform above it. If anyone has seen this girl," a blurry picture flashes on the screen and Naomi's hand slapped to her mouth in shock.

"Emily…" she breathes and feels Cook's hand gripher shoulder in comfort.

"Please contact us with information." The report ends and flicks back to live coverage of the whirlpool. Naomi stumbles backwards, dropping into the empty armchair behind her and staring at the screen.

"Well, they can't hide it anymore. They just can't expect things like this to keep happening and people not ask questions…" Gina returns to her conversation on the phone. Cook takes a seat next to her and pensively watches the screen. They don't say anything; there isn't anything to say.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

While on shift two weeks later, Naomi finally starts to get some answers. The whirlpool that had occupied the River Thames for three days was gone. One morning when she'd woken up it had just disappeared. The papers all say it was a freak weather accident but she knew better. Everyone knew better, but they still went back to pretending the truth wasn't out there. It's a particularly dull day at work, hardly any customers and Naomi has decided to have a go at the crossword in the Guardian. Pulling her stool closer to the counter, she leans over the paper and begins to consider the list of clues. She's so lost in thought that she doesn't hear the door to the shop open, the bell ring or see the eager hands that rest on the counter in front of her. The fingers begin to drum impatiently but she doesn't notice. Too lost in her crossword. One of the hands reaches for the bell on the desk and presses it, leaning down to meet Naomi's gaze.

Naomi looks up startled at the raggedy man that was standing before her. She wasn't one for fashion but even this man's was questionable. A bow tie, really? And suspenders? In her analysis of the man she hadn't notice at how deeply he was looking at her. "Errr…can I help you?" she asks raising an eyebrow.

"Yes…yes, I believe you can," the man takes a step back and quickly running his eyes over the options of a drink. "Ah! Tea! I love tea. Earl grey, please, two sugars, a squidge of milk and tea bag first! Always tea bag first!" A large, joyful smile now covered his features.

Naomi stares at the man for a couple more seconds before reaching for an empty cup. "Name?"

His face seems to burst into an even bigger smile. "The Doctor," Naomi can't help but admire a man in that profession, it's a noble one, saving lives and helping people. Even if the NHS has been a pile of wank these days. "Pleased to meet you." He holds out his hand over the counter and Naomi hesitantly takes it. His grip is firm and erratic.

When he finally lets go of her hand she goes to work on his tea. He doesn't say anything, just bends down and starts to inspect the contents of the glass cake tray. When Naomi reaches the end of the counter and asks for money he almost looks confused.

"Ah, yes! Money, I always forget the money," he starts fumbling around inside his jacket and then pulls out a fifty pound note. Handing it to her with a smile. Rich prick, is what crosses her mind as she gets the man his change. "Thank you…Naomi. The service has been fantastic." He turns away from the girl, tea in hand, but then she realises…

"How do you know my name?"

"Well, it is your name, isn't it?" he swivels back towards the girl. "Says it on your name tag there," She glances down to the nametag that is resting on her chest and feels a sense of relief fill her. "But that isn't the reason. You are the Naomi Campbell, correct?" She slowly nods her head. "Well, not THE Naomi Campbell, little mistake on my part, thought she'd meant the supermodel, very temperamental woman and she loves to throw shoes, doesn't she?" Naomi is staring perplexed at the man. "Anyway, the point is…is your name Naomi Campbell?"

"Yes."

"Brilliant," the Doctor beams. "Well, Miss Campbell, you need to come with me."

"I don't make a habit of going anywhere with strangers, thank you." Naomi snips. She's growing impatient of this man. How does he know her name? And her place of work?

"And rightly so, but this time we're going to make an exception."

"I think you should leave." Naomi moves to collect the utensils she's just used to make the man's coffee.

"She said you had some fire in you." he leans on the counter, refusing to leave.

Naomi sighs. "Who did?"

"Emily." His face has turned deadly serious at the mention of the redhead's name. It unsettles her.

"You…you know Emily?" The Doctor nods. "Where is she?"

"A good question…" he replies. "Want to know the answer?"

She does. More than anything she really does. "Yes!" She doesn't mean to sound so eager.

"Emily is in trouble. She's trapped and I need your help to get her back." His words are serious.

"What kind of trouble?"

"The kind you couldn't even dream of," he pushes away from the counter and the massive smile returns to his face. "So, are you coming, Naomi? Emily's waiting! "

She doesn't know why she follows this stranger with no more than Emily's name thrown at her, but she does. Because she's obsessed and she needs to find the missing redhead.


	2. Liquid Love

**Disclaimer: I don't own Skins or Doctor Who…I'd be the happiest person alive if I did! **

**A/N 1: So, Skins Fire, eh? Some interesting stuff happened there. Like myself, I imagine, that you are looking for some fics to pass the time till next week and the Naomily we all crave. Well, if you have chosen to read this, thank you ever so much! A big thank you to my BETA as well: Miss Peg. She is a star. **

**Chapter Two: Liquid Love**

Naomi can't help but think he's very nimble. Incredibly so, she's a fast walker, but she's struggling to keep up with him without breaking into a run. She almost falls over as she races into someone, an apology tumbling from her lips but she's determined not to lose this mystery man. This Doctor. Should she take him on his word that he knows Emily? Maybe he's lying…it doesn't matter. She has to know. He rounds a corner. Naomi stops for a second…for the first time in her life she's genuinely unsure of something. She bites her lip. The Doctor pops his head around the corner with an impatient expression. "Well, come on, then!" He ushers her with his hand.

Fuck it. Leap of faith, why not? She rounds the corner and comes across one of the strangest sites she's ever seen. The Doctor is stepping inside a large blue police box. She's already regretting her leap of faith. Her feet carry her towards the box regardless. What sort of lunatic inhabited a large blue box? Is that what this man was? Insane? It sure as hell looked like it. He was starting to remind her of one of the regulars at Uncle Keith's pub, Mad Bob. Mad Bob was, well, he was mad. Donning a high phisvisjacket and a bike, Mad Bob made it his mission to direct the traffic of Bristol at any junction he could find…thing was that all the traffic he directed was perfectly fine and he caused more problems than solutions. Mental. A laugh, but mental. Naomi found herself reaching forward to open the doors of the police box, to confront its occupants about the ridiculousness of this situation, but she is beaten to the punch as the handle slips away from her grasp and the Doctor's face meets hers.

"Hello." he beams.

"Hi," she shifts uncomfortably. This man is something else. He spins around exposing the interior of the blue box to Naomi's eyes. She can't stop the shocked gasp that escapes her lips. She hates herself for the cliché but her hand slaps over them too. Almost zombie-like, she staggers after the Doctor. "It's…bigger on the inside."

"Yes," He confirms proudly, standing with a smug look at the centrepiece of the…chamber. That's the only world Naomi can think of todescribe it. A chamber filled with vibrant colours, glowing buttons and a shimmering tower in the centre. "Brilliant, isn't it?" He extends his arms proudly, presenting his ship to the blonde.

Naomi doesn't answer him. She's too overcome with what she's seeing. She knows the logical answer to all of this. She's seen it on the news and in the papers…this is a spaceship. She's in a real life fucking spaceship! She doesn't know when she started leaning against the blue rallies on the inside of this…ship, but she is. "You're a…you're a…"

"I am," the Doctor advances on her with a gentle smile and his arms held open in a friendly gesture. "Completely and utterly, an alien. A Time Traveller, A Time Lord to be precise, but we can talk about that later."

"Oh, fuck." The Doctor's eyebrows shoot up in surprise, but an amused expression has settled on his features.

"She warned me about that too." He's eyeing her curiously now.

"W-what?"

"Your foul mouth." He steps towards the tower in the centre.

"Hey!" Naomi's shock is starting to wear off. She glares at The Doctor as he starts to turn knobs and press buttons on what Naomi can only fathom is a control panel. Naomi goes to speak but The Doctor cuts her off.

"Now, before you ask," He's still busy pressing buttons. "Yes, this is a spaceship, well, kind of, not really, it's a spectacular one. A TARDIS. Time and Relative Dimension in Space. Yes, it can travel in time and yes it can go anywhere in the entire universe," He turns back towards the blonde and rubs the control panel almost lovingly. "But more can be explained later, I love talking, but there's no time. It's time for action. We have a redhead to save and you, Naomi, are the key." The Doctor turns to her with a serious face. "I'd hold onto something if I was you."

Naomi stares at the man in utter astonishment. "Err…why?" Her question is answer when the room juts roughly and launches her to the ground. She grunts in pain. Fucking TARDIS. A large whirring sound fills the room and the Doctor is laughing enthusiastically as he clings to the control panel.

"Geronimo!" is one of the most ridiculous things Naomi has heard coming out ofa person's mouth ever.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

She feels sick. Her stomach is tossing and turning and she's struggling to hold herself up against the rails of this 'TARDIS'. She nearly falls over again when it comes to a halt; the rocking stops and she can finally steady herself. The Doctor is already rushing towards the doors.

"Stop! Just wait afucking second!" He does as she commands and swivels towards her. "This…this is ridiculous! I mean…fuck!"

"Naomi." His voice is soft and he slowly walks towards the girl.

"No. Just don't, okay?" Her hands fly up to keep him at bay. "I just need a second, yeah? It's a lot."

"Of course, it is…" It's almost as if he's scolding himself with that gentle mutter. "I am sorry that it has come to this, I truly am, believe me, but I had no other choice."

"And that's another thing," she's getting angry now. This is all too much at once. Aliens? Spaceships? Time Travel? Emily? Fucking Emily. "How do I even know that you know Emily? Or that she even needs my help? I don't even know why I'm here!"

"You are here because you're important, Naomi. You're important to Emily and you are the only one she trusts." The Doctor simply states like it is the most obvious thing in the universe.

"Important? I hardly know her!" It's outrageous. All of it. Especially because she's standing in the middle of a spaceship. Her revelation doesn't seem to unnerve the Doctor. He is just looking at her with those incredibly gentle eyes.

"But you are." He's so passionate. Advancing on her, gripping her shoulders gently. "Oh, Naomi Campbell; wonderful, fiery, passionate Naomi Campbell, you're so very important." It's almost as if he knows something that she doesn't. Something about herself that she can't even see. That she knows isn't there. She pushes his hands away and takes a step back.

"Are you always like this?"

"Like what?"

"So full on?"

"Absolutely." He does take a step back from the girl, though. He reaches into his jacket and pulls out a small device, almost like a blackberry and hands it out to the girl. "I promise you, Naomi, I will explain all of this to you but not until we've got Emily back. She is in grave danger."

Naomi bites her lip and eyes the device suspiciously. Her hand hesitantly takes it from the Doctor's grasp. She holds it in front of her face and inspects it. It is a Blackberry, well; at least she thinks it is. She confirms this when she sees the company's faded logo on the back and looks up at the Doctor in confusion. "This is a phone?"

"Emily's phone. I've modified it using bits and bobs lying around here. It's a tracker, it'll help you find Emily."

"Won't you be helping me find her?" The Doctor slowly shakes his head.

"This is where it gets complicated." He walks back towards the control panel and motions for Naomi to follow. She does, he's pointing at something on the blue screen he's holding in his hands. "You see that there?" She nods as he points to something she recognises as the Milky Way. "As you know that galaxy contains your Solar System and thus Planet Earth, as well as, your home. Well, we, we are over here." He drags his finger across the screen in a motion that is very similar to something that Naomi has done on Google Maps many times and highlights another Galaxy.

"Another Galaxy?" She breathes.

"'UDFj-39546284' is the name that human's have given it. I know it by another name, Crassna."

"And that's where we are? In another world?" Naomi feels like she's going to be sick again.

"We are on the Ice Planet of Sifetec" He pushes away from the counter and runs out of the room, leaving Naomi to deal with the news that she, Naomi fucking Campbell, the strong headed, political idealist was billions of light years away from her home. From her best friend. From her Mother. "Now, Naomi, it's very cold outside and it'll take some time for our bodies to adapt to the rapidly cooling temperatures outside, so I suggest that you wear this." Naomi isn't even looking at him. She isn't really looking at anything, but she does feel the large coat that is thrust into her hands. The Doctor is oblivious to her internal battle and starts pulling on his own large coat. He also pulls out a pair of large protective goggles and snaps them to his face with a large grin.

Naomi seems to regain herself a little. "You look ridiculous."

The Doctor frowns at her. "Goggles are cool." He states as a matter of fact.**"**

"Oh right, and I suppose bowties are too?" Naomi rolls her eyes and begins to pull the large coat on.

The Doctor is oblivious to her insult and just winks at the girl. "Bingo," He straightens his bowtie and then holds out his hand to Naomi. "Ready?" Naomi nods her head, reassuring herself.

"Yes, but I'm not wearing any bloody goggles." She takes his hand. The Doctor pushes the door to the TARDIS open and Naomi can't help but gasp. The Doctor seems to be unaffected by the beauty of their surroundings. They seem to be in some sort of tunnel from what she can see, but the walls are made of beautiful, shimmering ice. Her eyes dance curiously over its surface and the engravings that lie there. She unconsciously takes a step towards them and looks back towards the Doctor hesitantly.

"Go ahead." Her feet carry her over. The closer she gets to the wall the more prominent her breathing becomes; a small cloud forming as her breath leaves her mouth. That's when she realises how cold it is. Incredibly so, she wets her lip and presses her hand against the tunnel wall. Her fingers jump back in shock at the bitter coldness that she's met with. They still return to the surface though, gently tracing the etched lines that mar the wall of ice.

"What is this place?" She asks.

"The Mines of Sifetec. It's too cold to occupy the surface of the planet so the Sifetecsbuilt large tunnel systems so they could survive the planet's harsh conditions. They're colonists. Their home world was lost to them long ago."

"What do these mean?" Her fingers are almost glued to the symbols. The Doctor reaches into hiscoat and pulls out a long silver device that looks almost like a pen minus the green light at the end. Naomi eyes it curiously. The Doctor holds it up to Naomi's face and smiles at the girl.

"Sonic Screwdriver, like a screwdriver, but sonic," and with that he holds his sonic screwdriver to the engravings on the wall. They begin to light up in a light pink glow, the wall changing from an icy cold blue to a vibrant, warm pink. Naomi steps back.

"Love."

"What?"

"It's a religion to these people. You have Christianity, Catholicism, Judaism, Hinduism, yadayadayada and the same principles apply to the Sifetec. They have faith, not a God necessarily, but something they believe in to the core of themselves." He steps back and pokes at Naomi's chest feverishly. "The heart. We all have one, well, I have two, but we all have one. All organic life. Even the evilest of creatures are fuelled by the desires of the heart. The Sifetecbelieve that love, the strongest of all the possible emotions, is something worth believing in. Worshipping. It's precious to them, like a bottle is to a baby. They rely on it. It is their crutch, but also," his face darkens. "Their one vice."

"But isn't love a good thing?" Naomi's face contorts in amusement at how the man rambles on. It is fascinating, it really is, how knowledgeable one man can be. He has a certain charm about him that even Naomi is starting to fall under. Her eyes are drawn back to the lull of the pink wall as it slowly spreads down the large tunnel system.

"Of course, love is amazing!" The Doctor laughs and presses his hand against the wall. The glow brightens around his touch. "It's something that should be powerful, unrelenting and universal because we all need that feeling of loving someone and being love in returned, but something it isn't, is something that should be bottled."

"Bottled? What like Shampoo?" Naomi snorts.

"Like a shampoo. Cap off, love out, cap back on, love gone. That's what the Sifetec do. They capture love. Harbour and use it to power their planet and as nourishment, they don't need food to survive, they evolved to survive on the one thing they've worshipped for so long. Liquid love." Naomi's face is one of confusion. "Emotions are powerful things, they have endless possibilities, they motivate and drive us our entire lives so why can't they be used on a grander scale?"

"So, that's what this is? Love?" Naomi points to the wall and the Doctor nods his head.

"But not just anyone's love. Emily's." He rubs his hands over his mouth. "She's so full of it. So many emotions contained in such a tiny little girl. The Sifetec have hit the jackpot."

"They have Emily?" Naomi gasps.

"But we're going to get her back." It's only at this point that Naomi realises that the Doctor has had his hand pressed against the wall this entire time.

"Doctor," it's the first time she's said it. "Why have you got your hand pressed against the wall?"

He beams at her. "Clever girl," and with that he tears his hand away, the walls begin flashing red. A piercing alarm starts to sound around the tunnel system causing Naomi toslam her hands over her ears. She groans in pain because fuck, it's loud. The Doctor grabs her shoulders and pulls her to him. "Naomi, listen to me, Emily and I came here so I could show her the wonders of the Sifetec race but this place has changed, it's changed since the last time I was here; they were waiting for us, they took Emily, took her from me and are using her love as a source of power. It's killing her. I've just uploaded my genetic code into their system. I've erased any form of human DNA from their system so they won't be able to track you. Take the phone, use it, it'll help you find Emily. Find her and free her."

Naomi stares back at the man in panic. "But what about you? What are you going to do?"

His smile is big. "Be a distraction, of course." The sound of marching footsteps makes Naomi's head snap towards them. "They're coming. Run." Naomi doesn't. The Doctor reaches forward into Naomi's pocket, retrieves the phone and places it in her hand. He closes her fingers around it. "Run, Naomi." She runs, runs away from the oncoming storm and leaves the Doctor to fend for himself. She doesn't know if she trusts him, but she knows she doesn't want to leave him,

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Her feet pound hard against the icy floor, her breath is ragged as she runs from…from the Sifetecs. Aliens. Actual fucking aliens! Amazing! A sense of adrenaline has filled her like never before and she even laughs a bit at how surreal this day has really turned out. Two hours ago she'd been doing her shift at the coffee shop and now she was in another galaxy!

Her eyes are darting back and forth as she follows the dot that is blinking on the phones screen. "Naomi….Naomi…can you hear me?" The Doctor's voice emits out of the phone mixed with harsh bursts of static.

"Yes, yes, I can hear you."

"Keep following…the dot…it'll lead you…to…Emily." She rounds the corner and stops in shock. So much so that she drops the phone to the floor.

"Shit." she mutters as quietly as she can manage. A group of figures are standing at the end of the tunnel in front of her. They are huge creatures wearing large suits of armour and a glass helmet on their head; rather similar to a fish bowl. Two large canisters are attached to the back of the creature. She freezes. She can't move. Aliens. Real life fucking aliens! She regains herself though. They don't seem to have noticed her but she can hear them talking amongst themselves.

"Intruder in Sector four." One of them whispers.

"Is it him?" Another asks in return.

"Who?"

"The Doctor." the third one hisses with venom.

"Well, if it is, he won't be escaping this time, that's for sure." The largest, presumably the leader of the pack, booms with a cock of his gun. That's when Naomi notices the gun. They're all carrying large, futuristic firearms. Naomi's eyes bulge. She's scared, fuck, she's terrified!

"Naomi…Naomi…can you hear me? Hello!" She slowly edges down, trying not to alert the guards and reaches for the phone on the cold, icy floor. She grabs it and then brings it slowly to her mouth. Being as quiet as possible.

"Doctor, I…I can see them."

"Who…the Sifetecs? How many of them?"

"Three. I can't get pass them. They have guns; big guns." Her voice cracks a little in fear and she hates herself for it. She's never really been scared of anyone or anything, but that seems so small in comparison to what she's facing now. The scale of what she's facing now.

"The Sifetecs…don't actually have eyes… they trace DNA signatures. When I uploaded mine…I made it possible for them to only see….mine. They…can't see yours. You're…" static breaks up the conversation and silence fillsthe tunnel again. Naomi's head rises in realisation.

"Invisible." she finishes. She slowly starts to make her way down the hallway. Her foot scuffs loudly against the icy floor and the Sifetecs turn towards the noise, alert, with these guns raised.

"What is it?" the leader huffs.

"I can't see anything." another replies with his gun still pointed down the tunnel towards Naomi. A slow smile spreads over the blonde's face. They really couldn't see her. Naomi's confidence grows tenfold and her feet carry her further down the tunnel till she is standing only a few feet from the creatures. The creatures look around in confusion as they hear the footsteps of the blonde slowly pass them by and slip around the corner. She doesn't realise until she's resting against the wall at the other side that's she's actually been clenching her fistso tight that she's drawn blood. She presses her lips together and then looks back to the dot. She's got to find Emily.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Surrender." The Doctor holds up his hand as a large gun is held in front of his face. "Under Sifetec law 3:14 you are counteracting the Sifetec primary directive. Punishable by death."

"Don't throw your laws at me." The Doctor says and lowers his arms. Alerting the leader and the rest of his squadron. "Why should I answer to yours when you don't answer to the Shadow Proclamation?"

"We are our own law." The leader replies. "You will come with us."

"Oh, are you now?" The Doctor's voice rising. "Well, alright! The high and mighty Sifetecs! How far you have fallen." He advances on the man eyeing him with disappointed and disdain. "I remember a people who wanted to cherish love. To help it thrive in all corners of the Galaxy. What happened to you?"

"You will come with us." He ignores the Doctor's question.

"Come with you where?"

"To the Grandmaster." The Doctor's eyebrow arches in surprise.

"You're not just going to shoot me here?"

"No. The Grandmaster wishes to see you. Then you will be harvested." The remaining members of the Sifetec squadron surround the Doctor with all their guns aiming at his back.

"Well, looks like I don't have a choice, do I?" He holds up his hands in surrender and allows himself to be escorted down the tunnel system.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Naomi's eyes widen as she steps out of the never-ending tunnel. The tunnel has branched out into a larger tomb, the engravings even larger and brighter on the walls. Naomi closes her eyes for a second. It's overwhelming; the walls are almost impossibly pink here. So bright. She must be close to Emily. It's almost as if the walls are humming with her. A flash of red fills her vision and she presses her hand to her head. She can feel Emily. Shelooks down to the phone in her hand and slips it into her pocket. She doesn't need it now. She knows where to go.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The small squadron of Sifetec lead the Doctor into a large chamber; one which he can only fathom is used as a 'throne' room for the Grandmaster. Whoever that may be. He takes in his surroundings, his eyes darting over everything and anything that they can see. The cogs in his brain are working overdrive as he tries to piece together another impossible puzzle. His lips twitch along with him as he analyses. The three squadron around him, the half empty throne room, the chair at the centre of it all with the obese, grotesque creator that sits in its centre, the large canisters which are attached to the throne and the tubes that connect to them. It all fits together. Everything does. He just has to figure out how.

"Doctor." The Grandmaster rasps as he's thrown to the floor in front of the throne.

"Grandmaster." The Doctor replies.

"You're a difficult creature to catch, Doctor." The Grandmaster motions for one of his minions to bring him something. He begins to wheeze dramatically, coughing and spluttering until a glass of pink liquid is placed into his hand. He gulps it down greedily and throws the glass back at theminion. His breathing begins to settle and he turns back to the Doctor. Although he doesn't have eyes he can sense where the Time Lord is. "But you have been caught. The elusive Time Lord. Famous throughout the Universe. How pathetic you really are. What do you have to say for yourself?"

"So, that's why I'm still alive, is it? So that you can gloat? In front of all of your people? This is all of them, isn't it?" He motions to those standing around him.

"No, we are vast." The Grandmaster snorts back.

"Oh, no, no, I don't think so. No," he turns on the spot and inspects them all. There must be twenty in total. They look haggard, almost starving. He turns back to the Grandmaster. "How long has it been since you've fed them?"

"They feed me!" The Grandmaster slams his arm down on the chair. "I am the Grandmaster. They obey me as it is decreed by Sifectec law. They do as they are told."

The Doctor's face darkens. "Even at the cost of their own lives?"

"Even then." The Grandmaster begins to wheeze again and motions for another glass of the pink liquid. Gulping another down making the Doctor's face contorts in disgust but in that moment he realises. He makes sense of it all and he smiles broadly. He reaches into his coat pocket and presses a button on his sonic screwdriver silently. "You will be harvested, Doctor. Just like your companion. You will help the Sifetec race to live on."

"Ah, 'Sifetec race', it's funny that you should say that, isn't it?" The Doctor steps towards the Grandmaster and points his finger at him. "Because you're not part of the Sifetec race, are you, Grandmaster? Are any of you?" He turns, taking in all of them. "You're outcasts! Strays! Vermin! You've been exiled! That's what this is. You know, when I brought Emily here I told her of the intricate wonders of magnificent people who treasured love, who had found a way to thrive because of such a pure emotion." He rounds on the Grandmaster and advances on him again. Anger clear on his features. "But you tainted it. You took something so completely good and used it for evil. Oh, you, you!" He's almost gnashing now. "But the rest of your people, the others that left, they didn't want to, did they? So they left you here. Marooned. Because they believed that love should be given willingly and not taken from people. Like you have done. Like you're doing to my friend!" The last part echoing around the chamber. "But I promise you this. I promise you, Grandmaster, this one thing. She is protected." He eyes the creature darkly.

Silence fills the room for a while and then a large cackle emits from the Grandmaster's lips. "Protected? You've been captured! What are you going to do? You're surrounded."

The Doctor continues to stare at the creature and then reaches into his pocket pulling out his sonic screwdriver. "If you know me, my name, Grandmaster, then you know what I'm capable of. Do you honestly think I would come here without a plan? Without a certain way for my friend to be freed and for me to stop you? If so, then you truly are a fool. Right now, a friend of mine is making her way through your tunnel systems to free Emily and when she does, well, judging by the lack of liquid love in your canisters I say you're about out, wouldn't you?"

The Grandmasters face has become serious and his minions are starting to look round in panic. "We have more people to feed from!" He declares trying to settle his people.

"No, you don't. Judging by your waistline you've devoured every last one of them yourself. When Emily is freed this facility will be shut down and you won't hurt anyone else." The Doctor points his screwdriver towers the Grandmaster who holds up his hands in defence.

He snarls at the Doctor. "So, what if she's freed? We still have you. A Time Lord. We could feed off you for generations."

The Doctor continues to glare at the creature as he is restrained by its minions. The Sonic screwdriver is removed from his hand. "If I was to stop you all I would need to do is destroy the link between the extraction chamber and this room. You are nearly out of supplies as it is and that would stop anymore love being transferred to you or your minion's life preservation suits. Disabling you."

"But you're here, Doctor." The Grandmaster cackles again.

"I am, but Naomi's not." He smiles at the Grandmaster whose face contorts in realisation.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

On her way to the extraction chamber, which she now knew it was called, The Doctor had decided to bring her in to the conversation he was having with someone called 'The Grandmaster'. Naomi didn't understand all of what was being said but one thing was clear to her. The Doctor trusted her to disable the connection between the extraction chamber and the room he was in. Now, that was easier said than done. She didn't know anything about alien technology or disabling it! Or the fact that she hadn't found the extraction chamber yet was another problem factor.

Naomi turned a corner and her eyes widened as she reached a room with a large steel door at the centre of it, blocking her from advancing any further. She eyed it cautiously as she advanced on the steel door. A large heart was etched into it. Pressing her lips together she pressed her hand against the door. She didn't know why, she just knew it was the right thing to do and to her surprise a mechanical churning could be heard and the door slowly started to lift. She stepped back, her eyes being exposed to the extraction chamber for the first time. It was breath-taking. A large domed room filled with hundreds of the etchings all-leading to a large glass chamber in the centre. Inside the chamber was the redhead she's been searching for. A feeling of relief fills Naomi as her fears are finally put to rest. He wasn't lying. He does know Emily. The Doctor was telling the truth. Naomi's eyes dart to the tubes, which are attached to the top of the chamber. A pink liquid is being sucked up and out of the chamber while Emily lies in the centre. Her eyes bulge. She's being extracted. She panics and runs over to the chamber and slams her hands on the glass. "Emily! Emily!" She calls out hoping that the redhead can hear her. She doesn't. Her eyes snap around the room hoping to find something she can break the chamber with. Nothing. "What would the Doctor do?" she asks herself.

She can feel Emily. Feel the pain that she is feeling. She needs to get her out of there as soon as possible. Her breathing becomes ragged, as she looks around in her panicked state, realising that the Doctor also needs her help. Her eyes fall on a small panel on the left side the chamber with a mould big enough for a human hand to fit in. Rubbing her fingers over her palm she hesitantly reaches out for it, extending her fingers till they touch the cool metal. She swallows hard. It's almost as if Emily's guiding her, showing her how to free her. As soon as her hand presses flat against the panel, a large light emits from it and she cries out. The glass doors of the chamber slowly start to open, mist bellowing out, causing her to cough and splutter as she tries to free her hand from the mechanical device. With one last hard pull she manages to do so almost collapsing back onto the floor behind her. After steadying herself she forces herself over to the chamber, wiping her hand through the smoke and finally lays hereyes on the sleeping redhead. Even under the circumstances Naomi couldn'thelp but note how breathtakingly beautiful the redhead looked. Wetting her lips, she reaches forward and shakes the redhead gently. "Emily, hey, Emily." Emily slowly stirs, her eyes opening for a second before closing again. Naomi shakes her once more.

Dark eyes. Beautiful dark eyes snap towards her open in panic. "Naomi?"

"Hey." She can't help but smile at the redhead. She's so pleased to see her. To finally know what Emily has been hiding from her all this time. Realisation seems to kick in and Emily's eyes open in panic.

"Naomi! What are you doing here?" She launches herself forward, her legs aren't ready for it though and she stumbles in to the blonde's arms, keeping her upright.

"I got you. I got you." Naomi reassures. God, Emily smells good. Like strawberries. Naomi's eyes nearly drop closed for a second as she takes in Emily's scent. Her moment is ruined however as Emily retches hard, spilling her guts all over the floor and covering Naomi's Converse. The blonde's easy-going mentality is pulled from her and can't help but clench her jaw in frustration. Breathing deeply she pulls Emily's arm up and over her shoulder, supporting her and ignoring how close Emily is to her and how uncomfortable that makes her feel.

"Naomi…" Emily's voice is weak. "What are you doing here?"

Naomi eyes the girl with concern. They really need to get out of here. "The Doctor came to me. He said you needed help and, well, here I am…"

Emily's eyes become panicked again. Naomi can see the deep brown pools connecting the dots and she grips Naomi's arm. "The Doctor! Where is he?" Her voice full of concern.

"He's fine. Well, he will be. There's something else I have to do." Naomi leads Emily to the side of the glass chamber and gently sets her down on the floor. "The Doctor. He told me that if I disconnected this room from where he is then it would stop these…creatures—"

"The Sifetec." Emily fills in, her voice still weak. She is rubbing at her head while Naomi explains.

"Yeah," Naomi lets it go. "And I think I know how." She reaches out again and places her hand on the panel. The device begins to glow and she cries out in pain. Emily's eyes find hers. Those brown pools are filled with concern.

"Naomi! What are you doing?"

"Helping the Doctor," She focuses on what she needs to find inside the system because that's where she is. She's inside this huge extraction system and looking for what the Doctor needs…and then it's there. The pipe above her begins to overheat and she looks to Emily in panic. The sound of the pipe begins to get louder and she reaches for the redhead, letting go of the machine and helps her to her feet again. "Time to go." Together, and with the Blackberry in Naomi's hand, they make their way out of the chamber and back towards the TARDIS

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The squadron leader screams and drops to the floor in agony, the canister on his back exploding violently. "Ah, ha!" The Doctor cries as the others around him drop like flies as well. "I knew she could do it. Clever girl!" He walks towards the Grandmaster as he cries in pain as well.

"Help me!" The Grandmaster hisses.

The Doctor's face is grave. "Help you? Why should I? You took my friend from me and had every intention of killing her. Why should I help you? What would it serve other than pain and misery for anyone else who is unfortunate enough to cross your path? No, no… I would, however," he turns towards the minions who are crying in pain on the floor. "Recommend to you guys to get the hell off this planet. Your Grandmaster is dying and there is no love left for you to survive on." He turns back to the Grandmaster. "It's over. Liquid love, a brave concept, but a dangerous drug." And with that he storms from the room, watching as they writhe on the floor in pain. The Grandmaster crying out for him to stop.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Where is he?" Emily's voice is concerned again. She's stronger now, but Naomi can tell how much she cares for the man. Naomi does understand where she is coming from. He's very…enigmatic.

"I don't know…he said he'd be here." What if he's dead? What if he never came back? They'd be trapped here…alone. Her and Emily; together. That's a thought she wanted to be the furthest away from.

"Shit. I hope he's okay." Emily breathes.

"Are you okay?" Naomi sounds concerned and Emily smiles at her sweetly.

"Yeah, yeah, thanks to…you. Thanks for, you know, saving me." Emily dips her head as she says it not wanting to meet Naomi's eyes. Adorable.

"Errr…No problem." What is the etiquette in the situation? Do you take all the glory or play the modest? Toughie. "So, this is where you've been, eh?"

"Yeah," Emily replies awkwardly and bobs her head. "Yeah, kind of hard to explain, huh?"

"Definitely." Emily's hand gently brushes against Naomi's but she doesn't pull away. It's a slow fumble of fingers, nothing more, but it's nice. It shouldn't be this awkward to make conversation. You've travelled across the universe to save this girl from unknown trouble, but it is. "So, the Doctor…he's something…"

"Yeah, definitely something…"

"Something good, I hope!" The Doctor's cheery voice breaks them out of their spell and Naomi pulls her hands away from the redhead. She smiles brightly at the Doctor who is advancing on Emily with open arms. He pulls her into a big hug. "Emily Fitch. Am I pleased to see you!" She giggles as he spins her around and places her back on the ground, cupping her cheek and looking at her with concern. "You are okay, aren't you?"

"Yes, I'm fine! Are you?"

The Doctor smiles at her fondly.

"Of course you are."

Suddenly he's rushing over to Naomi and pulling her into a tight hug.

"And you, you brilliant, clever girl, you! I knew you'd do it." Naomi is laughing at him while he praises her. She glances over to Emily who is smiling at the pair. "Right, shall we, then?" He leans on the door of the TARDIS and it springs open. The girls smile.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Naomi eyes the pair as they float around the TARDIS together. It's a peculiar sight, how at ease they seem with each other…and Naomi feels quite sad about that. Quite lonely…like she doesn't belong. She leans back against the rails and watches them. She's itching for a cigarette, the stress of all this has got her cravings going into overdrive…fuck, she needs one bad. "Naomi! Hello, Naomi…?" Emily's waving at her from over near the control panel where the Doctor seems to be dangling some trinket in front of the redhead's face. "Come look at this!"

Naomi crosses the room and eyes what the Doctor has in his grip. "What is it?"

"Ancient Roman Medallion, actually belonged to Julius Caeser and was given to me by a dear friend of his before he was assassinated, well, assassinated, it was more of a sacrifice because the Cyber...Nevermind about that. So, yes, behold! Julius Caesar's medallion!" The Doctor hands it to the girl and she snorts.

"No way."

"Naomi!" Emily scolds. "After everything you've seen you still have doubts?" She raises a sceptical eyebrow.

"It just doesn't seem possible…" Time travel…yeah, okay, maybe she had been to the other side of the Universe today but… "Okay, fine, say I believe you, which I'm not saying I do, but if I did believe you…what's so amazing about that? He was a twat anyway." Emily snorts hard and tries to control herself. The Doctor's face drops.

"Sorry about her Doctor. She can be a bit full on." Emily apologises. The Doctor waves it off and returns to the panel.

The TARDIS'sgentle rocking comes to a halt. "Here we are, Bristol, Sweet Bristol."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Naomi looks at the pair as they stand in the doorway of the TARDIS together and that's when she gets it. This is Emily's home. This is always going to be Emily's home. She isn't the girl she used to be, in fact, she's far from that. She's a new Emily. A confident, brave, sassy Emily and Naomi finds her absolutely fascinating. The Doctor steps towards the blonde and pulls her into an awkward hug.

"Well, Naomi Campbell, it's been a pleasure." He steps back and holds out his hand awkwardly. She raises her eyebrow at him, amused, but shakes it. What was the point? They just hugged. "I'll let you girls say goodbye." And with that he's gone. The TARDIS doors closing behind him.

"Emily—"

"Naomi—" They both laugh.

"You first." Emily offers.

"Why me?"

"What?" Emily looks at her in confusion.

"I…er…why me? Why was I the one you chose? Why not Katie or Effy? Or even Cook?" Emily's head dips down as she tries to fight the urge to blush.

"I…I didn't choose you. I mean, at least I don't think I did." The redhead wraps her arms around herself. "The Doctor told me that he…that he…needed another human to open the door, yeah, that only another human could release me from the chamber."

Naomi eyes her suspiciously. "Really?"

"Yeah. You must have been the last human I spoke to the Doctor about before I was taken." Emily nods her head, almost reassuring herself.

Naomi doesn't buy it. She knows that Emily isn't telling her something, but she decides to let it go this time. She's had enough of the truth for one day. "Okay, cool, so what did you want to say?"

"Oh…I just wanted to say thank you again really. Without you I'd still be trapped in that chamber." Emily holds out her hand to Naomi. "So, thanks…" Naomi takes it and shakes it awkwardly.

"No problem." Naomi retracts her hand and bites her lip. "So, you off, then? Back into the stars with 'The Doctor'?" She can't help how her fingers come up and extenuate how ridiculous his name really is.

"Yep, pretty much." It's awkward again. "So, I guess this is goodbye, then?"

"Yeah, guess so." Naomi turns away from the girl, but spares one last look back. "Well, bye, Emily." She begins to walk away from it all. From the missing girl with redhead hair. From the mystery, enigmatic Doctor. From the blue box spaceship. From the Universe…but then…

"Naomi!" She turns back to Emily who is looking nervous for the first time since she'd seen her again. "Did…did you want to come with us?"

Naomi bursts into a big smile. Because she does, she really fucking does.

**A/N 2: More Naomily times soon, guys! Thank you to anyone that is reading. This is going to be a slow burner, but it'll be worth it, I hope! Thank you again to anyone reading and if you review. Also, if any of you readers or reviewers want to suggest possible destinations, time periods, etc for the trio to travel to by all means! **


	3. The Beastie in the Gloom: Part 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Skins or Doctor Who. That'd be lovely though, wouldn't it?**

**A/N 1: Hello! So, surprise! Let me start off by saying thank you to all you guys that have reviewed. You're awesome. So, basically I'm updating this tonight and not on Tuesday because I'm going away next week and won't be back till next weekend. This is part 1 of the chapter I was going to post on Tuesday but I will post part 2 as soon as I can. So, thank you to anyone reading and enjoy!**

**Chapter Three: "The Beastie in the Gloom Part 1."**

She can't really say it's surreal. That word doesn't even begin to describe how all of this feels. As soon as she steps back inside that blue box the Doctor has her under his spell, she knows that. He welcomes her with a big grin and then winks at the redhead.

"I know just the place to get us started!" He exclaims to the pair of them and reaches for a dial on the control panel, spinning it enthusiastically.

Before she even has the time to ask, Naomi's stumbling, her feet struggling to hold themselves up as the TARDIS begins to rock again. Emily's gripping onto a nearby bar. When the blonde looks up, Emily's eyes catch hers and they promise her one thing: adventure. She's filled with excitement. She can't help the laugh that escapes her lips and Emily joins her. It's nice.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The Doctor takes them to a beach resorts in the stars, thousands of years into the future, and they are relaxing on the beach. It's breath taking. The Doctor also gets the chance to explain some finer details about the TARDIS to Naomi.

"The TARDIS is huge, ever expanding; there are thousands of rooms and compartments. Emily can show you sometime."

Naomi can't really come to terms with the scope of this tiny little box. There's a swimming pool, a bloody swimming pool! It's bonkers, it really is, and she hates herself for thinking that because she sounds like one of the girls in her politics class; Pandora. It's the first time she's really thought about home. Her home. Cook. Her Mum. Were they worried about her? She hoped not.

The beach really is beautiful. Hundreds of creatures and humans littler the golden sand, which is soft to touch, unlike the beaches back on Earth. Her lips lift up as a light chuckle escapes her. Earth. She doesn't think she'll ever get used to saying it. Emily's not with them, she's getting changed on the TARDIS. Naomi isn't too fussy, she picked something out of the wardrobe that the Doctor showed her too and wacked it on. The Doctor is wearing a ridiculous one piece bathing costume for men from the 1960s which even has a bowtie attached to it. She stands by her assessment. He is insane, but…he's…well, he's amazing. Absolutely amazing. Probably the best man she has ever met and that's saying a lot because the only man she could stand in her life up until this point is Cook and he's something else entirely.

"So, how are you finding it all, Naomi?" The Doctor asks breaking her from her thoughts. She watches as he grabs a handful of sand and scoots closer to her. He drops the sand through his fingers, inspecting it closely as the tiny grains slide over his skin and back to the floor.

"Erm…yeah, it's lovely. Fantastic." She's never really been good with words. Not when it comes to talking to people. A protest? She's the loudest, boldest and the strongest of the lot, but when it comes to simple conversations she's never really been able to make it work. A pair of aliens walk past the pair and Naomi overhears their conversation, understanding every word. Then it hits her, she can understand what aliens are saying… "Doctor?"

He's still playing with the sand but looks up at her. "Yes?"

"How come I can understand aliens? What they're saying, I mean? Do they speak English?"

The Doctor smiles to himself and begins to bend the sand into the shape of a small castle, patting it down with his hands. "No, they don't speak English. You're speaking their language."

"How?"

"The TARDIS is a universal translator. Anywhere in the universe you go, the Tardis will translate the language for you."

"Wow." Naomi breathes.

The Doctor's castle is beginning to take shape. "I love sand," His hands bend round a tower that he's starting to form. "It's so flexible. It can be changed into anything. Take any form. Very much like time. How much do you know about time, Naomi?"

"That I can read it from my wrist." The Doctor chuckles at her sharpness and smiles at her.

"You understand time as a linear concept, but it's so much more than that. So much grander. Where would you go, if you could? If it was something more than linear? Where would be the first place you'd want to go first?"

Naomi leans back in contemplation for a second; her tongue runs over her bottom lip as she considers this. She knows. She knows the one place she would want to go if given the chance. "France. Calais. 1938."

"Just before the war. Very specific. There's a reason. Why?" He's nearly finished his sand castle now.

"My great granddad was stationed there as an escort for ships between Calais port and the UK. During the war he was stationed on a naval ship that patrolled the channel. He was a great man…that's what my nanna told me." Naomi's voice is filled with pride, but also a hint of sadness.

"Was?" The Doctor's tone is soft.

"He died. There was a freak storm or something…the ship and its crew didn't make it. He was the only survivor but he his leg was infected with gangrene. He didn't make it back to nanna. She was only a small kid then." Naomi's voice is heavy now.

"I'm sorry. War is an awful thing." The Doctor suddenly smashes the sandcastle under his hand.

"What did you do that for?" Naomi's voice is lighter now, their previous conversation forgotten.

"Sand, Naomi, is very much like time because it can be reformed, reshaped and recreated. It's something that we will never truly understand, well, except me, of course." He explains and slowly begins to rebuild the sandcastle.

"Because you're a 'Time Lord'?" She says it like it's the most ridiculous thing in the world.

The Doctor ignores her snipe and continues. "There are many layers to time, some things can't be changed, but some things…can be revisited. If you understand what I mean?" He pats down on the now finished sandcastle and spreads his hands out over it again.

"How does anyone, ever?" She kind of understands what he's saying, but not really, because he's so scatty. His words tumble over each with seemingly no direction and then culminate in a fantastic conclusion that she'll never see coming.

"You will in time, clever girl!" He stands up, clapping the sand from his palms and grinning off into the distance. Naomi turns to take in the sight he's looking at and the breath almost leaves her. Emily, the feisty little redhead, is slowly making her way towards them across the sand. Her tiny form now draped in a perfectly fitted two piece, a jet red one, that screams against her creamy white flesh. Unconsciously the blonde wets her lips. God, she's fucking beautiful. Emily waves at them as she approaches and the Doctor pulls her into a big hug. Emily giggles in his arms as he spins her. The redhead slaps him playfully on the shoulders as he places her back onto the ground. "Right, how do you girls feel about ice-cream?" They nod their heads. "Okay, two ice-creams coming up. Enjoy the sun, girls, and don't wander off!" He calls with a hint of warning in his voice.

"Does he always say that?" Naomi asks as the redhead sits down on the sand next to her.

"Pretty much."

"Does he have reason to?" Emily winks at the other girl and lies back onto the sand, closing her eyes, shielding them from the harsh light of the sun. "Emily Fitch. Troublemaker. Who knew?" She laughs and lies down beside the redhead. "You know, I remember the quiet girl who was stuck in her sister's shadow. What happened there?"

"What can I say? A lot has changed," Emily replies.

"You're an enigma, Emily Fitch, do you know that?" Emily doesn't reply. Naomi laughs. They slip into silence and for the first it's not awkward. It's the first comfortable silence they've had in their friendship…. yeah, they're friends now…you've got to be friends with your travel companions, haven't you? Her pondering slowly sends the peroxide blonde off into a light snooze.

Sometime later she slowly opens her eyes to see Emily staring down at her. She swallows lightly, her throat constricting under the redhead's deep gaze. "Hey," it's huskier than any greeting should be. "You drifted off for a while there."

"No, I didn't." Naomi pushes herself up and adjusts her position. She looks away from the redhead, trying to hide the smirk that is donning her features. Emily laughs softly at Naomi's denial.

"You snore." She's teasing the other girl.

"I do not!" Naomi's head snaps back to Emily, glaring daggers.

Emily holds up her hands in defensive. "Just calling it as I hear it, Nai. It wasn't too loud, though, so I wouldn't worry. It was like a cat purring."

Naomi pushes the other girl lightly on her shoulder. "Shut up! I don't snore!"

"Alright, calm down, dear, it's not the end of the world. You'll just have to sleep on the other end of the TARDIS that's all!" She continues to tease. Naomi hates herself for doing it but she begins to pout, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I don't" the blonde grumbles again.

"You're still here! Excellent! Now, who doesn't what?" The Doctor's voice rings out as he crouches down beside them. He's holding two bright orange ice creams out towards the girls. Emily takes it happily from him. Naomi is a bit more hesitant…this is alien food…

"Nothing. Don't worry." She takes the cone from him, holding it in front of herself and inspects it. "Is it safe?"

"Safe?" The Doctor repeats like it's the most ridiculous thing he's ever heard. "Of course it's safe, it's orange peel! The best flavour there is. You've never eaten orange peel in your life?" Naomi slowly shakes her head. "Pfft. You're missing out. Now budge up, will you?" The Doctor taps her on the arm and she slowly scootches over so that he's sitting on her towel as well. "That's better."

"If it's so good why haven't you got one?" Naomi enquires. The Doctor doesn't reply just watches the sun set. "Do you ever answer any bloody questions?"

"Not always. Half the fun is not knowing," he muses. Naomi lets out a large huff, but nevertheless decides to trust the Doctor and try some of the iffy looking ice-cream. It tastes amazing, it's not rancid, or sour, or poisonous. It's literally out of this world. She hates herself for that sort of punning, but the moment got away from her. She's not a glutton, but God, it's hard not to scoff the whole thing down.

"Delicious, isn't it?" He's smug. Christ, she wants to smack him.

"I've had better." She won't let him have this victory.

"So, where are we heading next Doctor?" Emily asks wiping away the last remains of her ice-cream from the corner of her mouth. "How about Italy? I've never been there. Oh! In the 16th century! I've always wanted to go to Verona. Or…erm…what about France in the 17th Century? Or France in the future! I wonder what France is like in the future…how sophisticated can a people become?" Emily begins to ramble on. She's adorable when she's blabbering away. Naomi just watches her. Her eyes are drawn to the way the redhead uses her hands to talk, flicking them to and fro, how animated her features are as her and the Doctor debate their next destination.

She's pulled back to reality. "Ah, Naomi! That reminds me! Give me your phone." The Doctor holds out his hand expectantly.

"What? Why?" Her brow creases in confusion. The Doctor clicks his fingers at her. "You can be a right pig sometimes, you know that?" She huffs and crosses her arms. "Hey!" Naomi cries as she watches the redhead hand her phone over to the Doctor. "Where did you get that?"

"Your bag," the redhead says with a mischievous smile and points to Naomi's open bag.

"Don't enable him! He's bad enough as it is." Naomi scolds.

Emily laughs. "You get used to it. He's got big hearts, but an even bigger brain. It's always thinking ten times faster than anyone else's. Sometimes I don't even think he hears me."

The Doctor looks at the girls confused for a second. "Are you two talking?" He peers at them, but then returns to the phone in his hand. Both girls laugh at how ridiculous he is. The Doctor pulls out his sonic screwdriver from God knows where and proceeds to run it all over Naomi's phone. She watches as he takes out the battery and flicks something. He hands it back to her and she stares at it curiously.

"What did you do?"

"A little upgrade," he taps the phone with his finger. "Now you can call anyone in the universe any time you like, no matter where you are. Your mum, your friends, anyone. I put the TARDIS's number in there as well, just in case."

"The TARDIS has a phone number?" Naomi's eyebrow arches.

"Well, she is a phone box, Nai!" Emily exclaims with a light laugh. Naomi scowls at the girl. When did they get to nickname level?

She turns to the Doctor. "She? It's not like it's a person!" She exclaims, but when the Doctor doesn't answer her, her face drops and she stares at him in disbelief. "It's not a person, is it?"

"She is alive. Very much alive," he explains. "But enough of all this technical talk for today. I'll get Emily to explain it all to you when we're back at the TARDIS later, but for now, let's just enjoy this, eh?"

Naomi looks for confirmation with the redhead and Emily nods slowly at her, a promise that all will be explained later. A small, round ball hits Emily's foot and she yelps in shock. The redhead looks over to small alien child who is shyly looking over towards it's ball. She picks up the ball and slowly makes her way over to the child. "Hey, hey, it's okay, don't worry. Here." Emily holds out the ball to the shying away child, but slowly and hesitantly, the child takes the ball from her grasp. She smiles sweetly at the child. "What's your name?"

"Astra."

"That's a lovely name. Are you here with your mummy and daddy?" Astra looks over to the two large alien creatures sunbathing on a towel nearby. She waves over at them and gets waved at in return. "So, Astra, would you like to play a game?" the child nods eagerly and hands the ball out towards Emily. "Come on, then!"

Naomi's watching the redhead bounce the ball around the sandy shores with the alien child. Emily is relentlessly friendly. Naomi's never known anyone like it. Even on another world she treats everyone exactly the same. There isn't a bad bone in her body.

"Absolutely amazing, isn't she?" the Doctor comments.

"Who?"

"Oh, don't be coy," The Doctor points over to Emily. "Emily Fitch. The feisty redhead."

Naomi doesn't want to think about it. How amazing Emily Fitch really is because she can't even begin to fathom it. How prolific the redhead has become in her life. How desperately she trailed after her. How much she craves her friendship. It's too much. "I suppose. How did you two meet, by the way? How did this all come about?"

"Oh, that's Emily's story to tell, not mine. You'll have to ask her."

"Doubt she'll tell me. I hardly know the girl," Naomi mutters.

The Doctor sends her a knowing look. "Time, Naomi, is the only thing that can withstand itself. Time will exist and stretch on far beyond you or Emily or even me. It shouldn't be wasted on trivial things, dos, don'ts or uncertainties. It's very rare to be completely sure of something. Time; it should just be cherished." The Doctor lays back placing his hands behind his head. "So, why don't you stop wasting time and go play some football, eh? I'll stand watch here."

Naomi swallows hard. She's only just starting to realise how perceptive the Doctor is. Against her better judgement she decides to follow his advice. At least she thinks it's advice or maybe he just wants some time alone?

"I'd hardly call that standing."

"Don't be pedantic, clever girl. Now, clear off! I've got some rays to catch up on." He ushers her off and before she even realises it her feet are carrying her over to the smiling redhead and the giggling child.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Can we go somewhere where I don't get held captive this time, please?" Emily teases as she stands around the control panel. The Doctor smirks at her cheekily, but continues to push levers and twirl dials.

"Danger is everywhere, Fitch! But don't worry, this time we're going somewhere for Naomi!"

"Me?" her voice is full of shock. Where the bloody hell could they be going for her?

"Her?" Emily's voice sounds almost disappointed as it comes out the same time as Naomi. Naomi eyes the girl curiously. Was she jealous? Of what? The Doctor's attention not being on her?

"Buckle up, kiddies! It's gonna be a bumpy ride!" The Doctor cries and latches onto the control panel with a hearty laugh. The TARDIS begins to whirr loudly and that gentle rocking, which is becoming familiar to the blonde, sets in.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"This is Captain Vincete Jarre of the H.S.S Blanche 2. You are surrounded. All occupants of the blue…vessel…will surrender themselves. Whatever weapons you may have place them on the ground in front of you and then exit the vessel with your hands raised above your head. If you do not compile with this instruction you will be fired upon." Bursts through the TARDIS control panel. All occupants eyes dart from one another as the message is played out.

"Who's that?" Emily asks.

"I don't know!" The Doctor exclaims happily. "Shall we go find out?" He's already heading towards the door. Naomi looks at Emily nervously and is surprised when the redhead offers her hand. Fuck it. Naomi takes it and smiles reassuring back at Emily. The Doctor tuffs up the collar of his suit, rubs a hand through his long, thick curls and checks his bowtie. He smiles broadly at his two companions. "Welcome, girls, to 1938. Calais,France." He leans back against the doors, opening them as he does this and steps outside. Emily and Naomi glance at each other before following him eagerly. Naomi gasps as she steps outside onto a cold hard surface…it's a ship. They're on a ship. It's a huge grey vessel that she recognises from the pages of many of her World War II history books. Large tin spirals tower above her head, she can hear the loud sloshing of the ocean and the milling of busy crewmen making there away around the deck. Another thing she notices is the large group of naval officers in front of her that are pointing guns at her. Guns! Shit!

"Doctor…" Naomi hisses. He looks at her with a reassuring smile and a wink.

A large ginger man, donning a beret and a neatly pressed uniform is holding a revolver towards the Doctor. "Identify yourselves," he demands, thrusting his revolver aggressively towards them. The group of naval soldiers that are standing around him shift uneasily, but keep their rifles aimed at the trio.

"Hello, chaps! Now, whom have we got here? Judging by the uniform, the year, the make and model of those rifles and," the Doctor licks his finger and holds it up to the sky, his eyes closing to half lids in consideration. "Salt in the air," The Doctor licks his lips. "Yes, definitely 1941…appears I was a bit off." He turns to Naomi and Emily. "Sorry about that. I'd say we're on an escort and/or battleship on the coast of France, near the English Channel. Isn't that right, Captain? It is Captain, isn't it?" He asks the large ginger man.

"Identify yourself," the ginger man barks again. The resonating sound of the bolts of rifles being locked into place rings around Naomi's head. She's scared. They all should be. These are soldiers!

"Doctor." It's Emily who hisses it this time. It's only then that Naomi realises that her hand has been clutched, nervously, in the redhead's this whole time. She glances down to their entwined hands. Her eyes catch Emily and the redhead dips her head in embarrassment. They don't let go, though.

"Ah, yes, of course! Sorry about the mix up," the Doctor reaches inside of his jacket and pulls out a small leather wallet. Flicking it open he walks towards the ginger man. "I'm the Doctor. Special reconnaissance for Great British government. These are my companions Naomi Campbell and Emily Fitch. We're here to do routine checks and such. Make sure that everything is going according to…plan."

The ginger man takes the wallet from the Doctor's hand and inspects it. "Everything seems to be in order…expect the fact that your…vessel materialised in front of my men here. How do you explain that?"

"I can't. It's top-secret stuff, you know? Can't be giving away all our government secrets." He leans forward and pats the man on his chest friendly. "You understand how it is."

"At ease men." The soldiers around them relax, taking their aimed rifles off of the trio and return to their duties on the deck of the ship. The ginger man holds out his hand to the Doctor. "Captain Vincete Jarre. Pleasure to meet you Doctor."

"The pleasure is all mine, Captain. Now, please," the Doctor turns towards Emily and Naomi and ushers them towards him. "Let me introduce you to my companions. Naomi Campbell and Emily Fitch. Girls, this is Captain—"

"Vincete Jarre," the Captain interrupts. His voice has switched to an almost alluring purr as he takes Emily's hand. He pulls her small hand to his lips and presses a chaste kiss upon it. "Lovely to make your acquaintance." Emily eyes the man in shock, but smiles bashfully nonetheless.

"Nice to meet you, Captain Jarre," she replies. Naomi grinds her teeth. Look at this obnoxious pig…Christ, sometimes men can be vile creatures.

"Please call me, Vincete," he insists. Emily blushes, but nods. His hand hastily grips Naomi's as well, but only for a second. He isn't interested in her at all and she can't say she's not happy about that. The Captain clicks his fingers and a soldier runs over to his side. "Piers. Please escort," he turns to Naomi. "Naomi, is it?"

"Yes. Yes, it is." It's sharper than she intends it and she swears she almost sees the Captain recoil at her tone, but he plasters a fake smile on his face anyway.

"Please escort young Naomi here to our accommodation. I assume you intend to stay Doctor? Since you and your magical box are here I can only guess you intend to stay?" Captain Jarre's voice is friendly.

"That'd be lovely. Emily, why don't you go with Naomi and get yourself settled in? The Captain is going to give me the grand tour, aren't you, Captain?" the Captain's face doesn't hide his disappointment.

"Yes. Piers." he turns towards the soldier standing at his side.

"Yes sir?"

"Escort Miss Campbell and Miss Fitch to the bunks. The Doctor and I will reconvene with them after we've walked the ship." Captain Vincete orders. Piers salutes his Captain and motions for the girls to follow him.

The Doctor leans towards the girls. "I'll meet up with you later. Enjoy the sites." He turns back to the Captain. "Now, where can I get one of those hats? They are cool." Naomi rolls her eyes. The Doctor wouldn't know cool if it bit him on the nose. She watches as one of the soldiers brings him over a beret and he places it on his head with a big grin. He gives them both a thumbs up.

What sites? The sea. Oh, bloody terrific. "Prick." Naomi mutters under her breath as she brushes past the Captain. Emily bites back a laugh and reaches for the blonde's hand again, entwining it with her own. (Perhaps add something like, Naomi doesn't decline, or something similar, onto the end.)

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Her footsteps ring out in loud clangs as Piers leads them further into the ship. Naomi frowns. Every soldier they've walked past has eyed them up. Fucking pigs. Keep on leering. "Sorry about the men. It's not every day we have females aboard. So, you ladies are English? Your French is impeccable."

'French'? Naomi mouths to Emily in confusion. Emily nods her head to confirm. "Erm…thank you, Piers. Yes, we're English. What do you do on the ship?" Emily asks.

"I'm just a deck hand. I check the maintenance of the ship, make sure it's clean and do whatever the Captain asks. It's an easy life." A loud, thundering crash rings out above their heads and Emily lets out a loud gasp.

"What was that?" the redhead squeaks. Piers suddenly becomes on edge. Naomi eyes him suspiciously.

"Err…Just aeroplanes. You'll get used to the sound of it. We all have now." Piers opens the door to a small room filled with two bunk beds. "Here we are. The best suite on the ship. What it lacks in comfort, it makes up for in reinforced steel." He taps his knuckle on the steel wall and smiles at the girls. "Now, if you girls need anything at all just come and fine me, okay?"

"Thanks, Piers." They say in unison and he salutes the girls, causing them both to laugh. He sends them a wink and then makes his way down the tunnels.

"It has been a pleasure, ladies!" he calls again.

"He was nice." Naomi comments.

"Yeah, he was." It's awkward.

"So…which of us is going to sleep with the Doctor?" Naomi's eyes close in embarrassment. "Oh, God, that came out wrong. That's not what I meant at all…"

Emily laughs. "It's okay. I know what you meant." Emily shuffles awkwardly. "You know, I don't think the Doctor ever sleeps…I've never seen him sleep."

"Surely he must do," Naomi rationalises. "What was that thing with the paper book thing by the way? Is he really affiliated with the British government?"

Emily chuckles, shaking her head. "No. It's psychic paper. Basically anything the Doctor is thinking is imprinted on it. It's quite the handy trick."

"Bag of goodies, isn't he?" They laugh lightly together. "So, speaking French, that's weird, huh?"

"Didn't the Doctor explain…" Emily starts.

"No, I mean, yeah, he did. I just…I don't know how I'll ever get used to this…" Naomi ponders, mostly to herself, but Emily has a knowing smile on her features. "How do you do it?"

"Oh, I'm not used to it. Not at all. You just kind of adapt. Expect the unexpected. Always something new with the Doctor." Emily shrugs it off like it's the simplest thing in the world.

"I guess…"

"Wanna explore?" Emily suggests.

"Oh, God, yes!" She exclaims. Their hands find each other again. This is becoming a regular occurrence now.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"And this is the control room. Here we can co-ordinate with other ships in our fleet and prepare movements or course deviations." Captain Jarre spreads his arms out, presenting the room and his men to the Doctor. "Soldiers, this is the Doctor." Lots of salutes follow this statement.

"Hello, chaps!" he waves at a couple of them. The Doctor turns on Captain Jarre. "So, Captain, tell me about your mission."

"Mission?" The Captain looks surprised.

"Come on now, Captain, you hardly expect me to believe you don't have a mission." The Captain starts to lead the Doctor out of the control room and down towards the deck of the side.

"There's only one mission for my men and I, Doctor and that is topreserve the safety of these waters. Defend them as best we can. Whether that is from land, sea or sky. No German ship or plane shall enter British waters."

"British waters…why are you working for the British and not your own people?" The Doctor enquires.

With a grave face Captain Jarre turns on the Doctor. "France is invaded, Doctor. You know how bad it is out there. There have been…so many casualties. The British offered us refuge…the very least we can do is protect their waters." The Captains rests his hands on the rail of the boat and peers out over the murky water. The Doctor leans next to him gazing upon the battle, which is taking place in the distance. Planes are falling, the rat-tat of bullets being fired ring out across the vast scape of the sea and large towers of smoke, spiral endlessly up towards the heavens. "These waters have taken too many lives."

"Why do I get the impression you're not talking about the war here, Captain?"

"You ask a lot of questions, Doctor," Captain Jarre avoids. He pushes away from the rail.

"What is it? What have you seen?" The Captain won't catch his eye. "Don't play coy with me, Captain. You and your men watched my ship appear on the middle of this deck and didn't even bat an eye which means one of two things." He holds two fingers up. "One, you're all insane. Absolutely cuckoo. You saw something materialise out of thin air and it's all just another delusion to you or two, two, you…you've seen something worse. Something even strangest then a magical, teleporting blue box." The Doctor tries to catch the Captains eye.

"I…I don't know what you're talking about, Doctor. We are but a simple escort ship." The Captain coughs and straightens up. "Now, I've given you your tour Doctor as you requested. Under British allegiance you are welcome aboard this vessel for as long as you require. But all the same, I'll say good evening." Captain Jarre nods his head at the Doctor and leaves the raggedy man starring out towards the sea. A pensive look settled on his features.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Emily waves at a group of soldiers that pass them by. They wave back. After they've disappeared Emily drags Naomi further down the ship. Naomi shifts nervously as Emily pushes open a large steel door leading into a cautioned off part of the ship.

"I don't think we should be here!" Naomi hisses as she tugs on Emily's arm. Emily sends her a pointed look.

"When did that ever stop you?" Naomi can't argue. She'd hounded Emily. Practically stalked her at times. She shrugs at the other girl, almost apologetically. "Exactly. Come on, then!"

They slowly begin to make their way down some steel stairs into the lower part of the ship. "Naomi," Emily asks as she looks around, her hands running over the cool steel of the ships wall. "Why did the Doctor bring us here? He said it was for you."

"I didn't think he'd actually do it…" Naomi replies. It's cold in this place. The further they decent into the ships depths the colder it becomes. "My great grandfather was based in Calais during the war. I never got to meet him."

Emily turns her head back to smile at the blonde. "The Doctor likes to do that."

"Do what?"

"Make things that are impossible become possible. He likes you."

"You think so?" She's not sure. Sometimes she feels like the only reason she ended up here was because the Doctor made a mistake and doesn't have the heart to tell her to get lost. "Sometimes I feel like I'm only here because of…"

Emily stops and turns to the girl in curiosity. "Because of what?"

"You." Naomi closes her eyes in embarrassment as she says it. Fuck sake. "I mean because you needed help and he just happened to bump into me…" She begins to babble. When did she babble?

"Well, you are," Emily confirms.

"Oh."

Emily chuckles and reaches for Naomi's arm, squeezing it reassuringly. "Because I want you here." Naomi's hand trails up to rest over Emily's. She can't fight the smile that tugs up on her lips. When did talking to Emily become so easy? When did she stop caring about the past? About what had happened….

"You told me to stop looking," Naomi almost accuses.

"I did." Emily nods her head in concession. "But I'm so glad that you didn't." Naomi can't help it, she tries to fight it, she really does, but those dark pools are so alluring. It's almost like they are pulling her int. Emily bites her lip nervously and glances down towards Naomi's. Fuck. Naomi's breath hitches; the redhead is most definitely leaning towards her. Emily Fitch is going to kiss her…and the scariest part is…she's not sure she can stop her. Her eyes slowly start to drift to half lids. She's going to get lost, fuck it; for once in her life she's going to get lost. Who cares about the past…what happened at the party…maybe…just maybe it was all supposed to lead up to this….

**A/N: So, there it is! Hope you enjoyed it and thank you every much again for reading. As I said before feel free to recommend any places you'd like the trio to go! Also, I'm currently going over some other Skins characters that will appear for a chapter or two. Any characters you guys would particularly like to see? Let me know. Thanks again. You rock. **


	4. The Beastie in the Gloom: Part 2

**A/N: So, that was hard to swallow, eh? At least they loved each other in the end. So, I hope this helps with whatever you're feeling at the moment and was worth the wait. Please enjoy it and hope to hear from you guys. I am open to suggestions! **

**Another quick thing, I'd like to thank KeffyRules for pimping me out in her authors note the other day. That was amazing. She is amazing and you should definitely go and check out anything she's written because they are all incredibly fantastic and worthwhile! **

**Another story I recommend to you guys is: A Stake to the Heart by jaybonesss23. If you're into crossovers (I assume so since you're here!) then this is a Buffy the Vampire Slayer one. It's awesome. Give it a go.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Skins or Doctor Who. I can dream though.**

**Chapter Four: 'The Beastie in the Gloom: Part 2.'**

A large, harrowing screen ricochets off the large steel walls of the ship. The pair spilt apart, their tentative moment ruined by the shrill intrusion. "What the fuck is that?" Naomi asks, her hands clasping desperately over her ears trying to stop the harrowing sound from invading her head.

"I don't know!" Emily calls back over the noise, clutching at her ears too. Emily grips Naomi's hand and starts dragging her down the hall, trying to find somewhere away from the shrill sound. Their feet pound hard on the steel floor, echoing around them, mixing with the noise. "In here!" Emily cries as they reach a door, pulling it open, they bundle inside. Emily pulls the handle closed behind them and locks it, the sound is still ringing out, but is dulled somewhat. The redhead slides down the wall, sighing as she reaches the bottom. Naomi slides down next to her. Emily smiles at the blonde.

"Hey." It's the only thing she can think to say.

"Hey." Emily leans her hand on Naomi's shoulder. Naomi's head is reeling. Emily had just tried to kiss her! Actually tried to kiss her. Fuck. Fuck! She bites her lip and glances down at the small head that is now resting on her shoulder. This is all fucked. She's not even gay…but she can't stop thinking about Emily.

Swallowing hard Naomi tries to clear the air. "We need to find the Doctor." Emily nods her head in agreement. "Where are we?"

Emily has a chance to take in her surroundings finally. They're in a small dark room similar to the one that Piers had taken them to.

"What's that?" Emily's pointing towards a long object on the floor that's covered by a blanket. Naomi watches curiously as the redhead pushes herself to her feet and slowly makes her way over to it. Emily grimaces as she steps in something warm on the floor, the room is dark so she can't quite make out what it is, and wiping her foot on the floor she slowly bends down.

"Emily…" Naomi calls but the redhead ignores her. As the sheet is pulled back Emily's hands snap up to her face, covering her mouth in shock. "What is it?"

"It's…it's a body." It's heart-breaking how horrified Emily's voice is. Naomi just wants to hug her. The blonde starts to push herself up but she doesn't get the chance to.

The door to the room swings open and in steps a fierce looking bald man. Naomi cries out as a large hand grips her hair and yanks her to her feet. She cries out, slapping at the hand viciously.

"Let go! Let fucking go!" The owner of the large hand delivers a vicious strike across her cheek.

"Shut your mouth!" the man barks. Naomi isn't a coward but this man is almost gigantic. Her eyes dart over to the redhead. Emily remains crouched, almost like she's in some sort of trance.

"Emily!" Emily looks blankly over to them.

"Oh dear, ladies, looks like we've got ourselves into some trouble, doesn't it?" He's pointing the gun at Emily's head. He looks between them, a menacing smile fixed upon his features. Naomi stares helpless at Emily whose face has begun to pale. What the fuck is going on here?

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Come on, Gerard, pick up the pace. It's nearly time for dinner," Harry calls, picking up a bundle of ropes and heaving them over to this partner.

"I'm going as fast as I can go, Harry! We'll get some dinner, don't you worry." Clapping his hands together Gerard makes his way over to his friend and places his hand on his shoulder. "It's not true. What they're saying. You're not next."

Harry looks nervously round the deck. He lowers his tone. "You don't know that, Gerard. Look around us. We're running out of time here."

"Well, what do you suggest, then?"

"We…we could run. Take the lifeboat and leave." Harry looks as uncertain as he sounds.

"We wouldn't last a day in these waters. The Germans would pick us off like flies." Gerard looks sympathetically at his friend.

"We're sitting ducks here, Gerard!" It's louder. Much louder than Harry intends it to be but it bursts from his lips. He looks around, aware that the rest of the soldiers on deck are now staring at the pair. Gerard wraps his arm around his now panicking friend and leads him towards the rail of the ship. He gently rubs his hand.

"You have to calm down. Don't give them a reason to choose you. Stay under the radar, remember?"

"I know, I know, I know!" Harry mutters. The sun is slowly beginning to set towards the horizon. Harry's hands shake furiously. He looks over to Gerard who is anxiously staring at the ocean. "Why did this happen to us? What did we do?"

"We didn't do anything."

"I'm scared."

"So am I." Gerard leans down on the rail next to his friend.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Naomi cries out in pain as she is thrown to the floor, her body crashes down hard next to Emily's feet and she feels the redhead's hands latch onto her, pulling her close.

"Doctor!" Emily cries out in shrill panic. It's the sound of Emily's voice that makes Naomi realise that the shrill screech has stopped.

"No one is going to help you down here, girls. Should have kept out of our business!" He hisses, thrusting the gun at them, causing both girls to flinch in fear.

Naomi decides to not accept this. To not give in to the demands of this crazy solider. She doesn't even know what's going on here and she doesn't care…she knows one thing for sure. She's not dying here. Fuck that. She grabs the sheet at their feet, launching it up and over the bald man's head. He staggers back in surprise and fires a bullet into the wall next to him. His hands grasp desperately at the sheet that is blinding him.

"Fucking bitches!"

Naomi's hand slips into that all too familiar space that is Emily's and they run. Hand in hand they fly down the corridor of the steel ship towards the stairs. Towards the Doctor. They can hear the man behind them, hot on their tails, chasing them relentlessly. She doesn't know what they stumbled onto but it's obviously worth killing for. She turns to Emily and flashes a fantastic smile at her because, in this moment, this crazy out of this world moment, she's realised that she want to share it with anyone else but the quiet girl who sat two rows down from her. How things have changed. Emily sends a meek smile back, obviously still upset about what she'd seen in the previous room. They round the corner, feet pounding hard against the floor, but then, in a moment of true horror, Naomi realises something awful. They've reached a dead end.

"Shit. Fuck. What do we do? What do we fucking do, Ems?" She's panicking now. Gripping desperately at the other girl's shoulders. Emily looks as terrified as her. They can't get caught. She's pissed this guy off enough already. A dark chuckle causes the pair to turn away. The man is slowly advancing on them.

"You're fast. I'll give you that, but it's over now, girls." He points the gun at them.

"What do we do?" Naomi echoes.

"We can take him," Emily whispers, her eyes gleaming with courage. It takes Naomi aback how drastic the change in Emily has come. The bald man has nearly reached them now. "We can take him, Naoms." That pet name is enough to inspire the belief in her. She turns and as he raises the gun brings her leg up to the man's bollocks. He grunts loudly, his face turning a light shade of purple as he slouches to his knees. She grabs the gun out of his hand, pointing at his head. It's the first time she's ever held a gun in her life.

"Why did you attack us?" Her voice carries a forcefulness she's not used to. Emily looks at her with a look of admiration, but tucks herself behind Naomi, her hand resting gently on the blondes. "Answer me, you prick!" He spits on the floor and stares at them grimly.

"Fuck you."

Naomi cocks the gun. "I've got the gun now, dickhead." The door to their left opens with a slow churn of metal. Naomi quickly snaps the gun towards it, her hands are starting to become clamming under the unfamiliar roughness of the metal. Piers steps out of the opening his eyes dart over the situation rapidly before he pulls his gun and points it towards the blonde.

"La Monte! Am I pleased to see you! These girls have been trespassing below deck. They found the body." the bald man pushes himself to his feet and warily steps around the girls towards the soldier holding his gun.

"La Monte? Did you say your name was La Monte?" Naomi asks, her voice half shocked, half curious. He doesn't reply just continues to aim his gun at the two females.

"Finish these two off, La Monte. It'll be just in time for the sacrifice as well," the bald man orders. Piers's eyes flick between the man and the girls again and he readjusts his grip on the revolver. "Well? What are you waiting for? Do it!"

"We didn't see anything, okay?" Emily calls while reassuringly squeezing Naomi's waist. "Just let us go! We won't tell anyone anything."

The bald man lets out a frustrated sigh and grabs the gun from Piers's hand, cocking it and pointing it at the girls.

"Jesus, La Monte! You really are a coward." He moves to pull the trigger. Crack. Naomi throws herself in front of the redhead, shielding her body with her own as she waits for the expected bullet to pierce her soft flesh…but it never does. Naomi's brow creases in confusion. She can feel Emily's breath lightly on her neck. Slowly she begins to unravel herself from the other girl, noting that Emily's face is equally marred with confusion as they turn towards the source of the sound. Piers is standing above the bald man with a knife held in his hand. His face is one of disdain as he looks down at his fellow soldier. He tucks the knife back into his waist and smiles timidly at the girls.

"I am sorry about that. Many atrocities have been committed on this ship, but no more. I will not let you ladies become one of them." He reaches down and retrieves the gun from the unconscious bald man. He gently holds it in his palm for a second before handing it out to the girls in a gesture of good faith; butt first.

"Thank you." It's Emily who says it first. Her small hand curls around the butt of the gun and sends a soft smile towards Piers. "I think it's time you told us what's really going on here, don't you?" Piers nods his head slowly.

"Follow me." He motions for them to follow him through the door. Emily glances over to the blonde on her left. She is staring blankly after the man.

"Naoms, are you okay?" Her soft hand on her arm is enough to reinvigorate Naomi some and she sends a small smile the redhead's way.

"I think…I just met my great-grandad." It's almost amusing how wide Emily's eyes become.

"Oh, wow." What else can be said? It's not like it's a regular occurrence. Meeting your great granddad in his early thirties. She doesn't know how to react. A blank and vacant expression has become fixed upon her features.

"Are you coming?" Piers calls, popping his head back through the door.

"Yeah, we are." Emily tugs lightly on Naomi's arm. "Come on." It's gentle and understanding and Naomi really does appreciate it.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The Doctor continues to watch the two soldiers, who were stationed by the rails at the side. The shorter one's outburst had not gone unnoticed by the bowtie donning Doctor. He wondered where Naomi and Emily had got to. Knowing his choice in companions they would have no doubt got themselves into trouble. A lazy smile slowly spreads across his features as he thinks about the pair. So blind. He shakes his head, reaching into his pocket he retrieves his sonic screwdriver and holds it up in front of him, scanning the air for any anomalies. The sonic device begins to let out a high-pitched wail.

"What? What?" He exclaims, staring perplexed at the device. "No…no, it can't be. It's not possible. Stop it!" He smacks the device with his hand. "I just told you it's not possible!" A loud high pitch screech rings across the deck and the Doctor leads out a roar of pain as he clasps his hands over hisears. He laughs heartily and looks around himself, all the soldiers are continuing on with their duties like nothing has happened. Hands clasped over ears he makes his way over to one of them.

"Can't you hear that?" He asks but the deckhand just continues to mop, not even acknowledging the Doctor. "Hey, I'm talking to you!" he taps the soldier on the shoulder in annoyance and the man glances up to him in surprise. Realising that he's been ignoring the Doctor he stops what he's doing immediately and salutes the Doctor.

"Sorry, Sir! I did not see you, sir!"

The Doctor points his finger in the soldiers face. "You can stop all that 'sir' rubbish right now, I'm the Doctor, just the Doctor, understand?" the soldier nods. The Doctor's hands slap back over his exposed ears. "Good, now, why can I hear that but you can't?"

The soldier reaches inside his ear and pulls out some cotton wool. "Protection, sir, I mean Doctor." He holds it out to the Doctor who smiles at him in return.

"Clever! Very clever! Thank you." Hepeers down to the soldier's nametag. "Private Pucard." He's racing off, up the stairs towards the control room. His face is practically ecstatic as he pushes open the door. "You've got a Topac!" he exclaims, confusing the contents of the room, and blank faces stare back at him. Captain Jarre stands up from where he is seated. The high pitch screech suddenly stops.

"Doctor, what is the meaning of this interruption?"

"A Topac." The Doctor drifts across the control room to the Captain and perches on the edge of his desk.

"A Topac? What is that?"

"A sea beast from the planet Ecra. Huge things. Massive. Large exoskeleton. Rather like whales except nothing like them at all, but if it helps with the mental image then you are welcome!" The Doctor begins rummaging through the Captain's desk. Two soldier's move towards the Doctor to stop him, but the Captain holds up his hand instructing them not to.

"A planet? As in not from Earth?" The Captain's voice is meek.

"Oh, come now, Captain, you're an intelligent man. You must have put the pieces together. Large, invincible sea beast, twice the size of an average whale circling your ship for, I'd say months, judging by the lack of crew around us. Just how many has it killed?" The Doctor looks up from his rummaging, but the Captain doesn't meet his eye. He returns to his search. "And then a magical blue box just appears in front of you and your entire crew and no one bats an eye? Oh, no. You know there are bigger and deadlier things out there, Captain." He turns to look at all the soldiers occupying the room with him. "And so do all of you! Now, when was the last time the Topac appeared?"

The Captain looks like he's going to disagree with it all. He opens his mouth but takes a second, swallowing his voice before looking the Doctor square in the eye. "The Beast…"

"Ah, so you do know what I'm talking about. The beast. The Beastie." The Doctor nods to himself. "Carry on…" he ushers.

"The last time the Beast was sighted was a week ago just after we'd reached deep enough waters. It claimed three of my men." The Captain's voice is filled with guilt. His eyes are filled with regret. The Doctor takes a second to console the man, reaching out to him and patting him on the shoulder.

"It wasn't your fault. Topacs are almost unstoppable and are always famished. You're lucky to have survived as long as you have. Especially since it's out of its natural habitat. You prepared these men. Protected them from its screams." He taps his ear. "You've set up defences as best you could. " The Captain nods his head in thanks. The Doctor returns to his foraging.

"What are you looking for?" The Captain's face becomes outraged when he sees what the Doctor has in his hands. "Hey! That's mine!"

"Ah ha!" The Doctor pulls a small book out from one of the desks. "Your journal! Excellent!"

"What do you want with my journal?"

"The longer a Topac inhabits an unfamiliar environment, the more powerful it becomes. It's evolution at its finest. It can literally alter its location to match one suitable for itself, essentially transforming earth's atmosphere and environment into Erca's and that would—" The Doctor is already flicking through the pages rapidly, his large grin quickly turning into grim solace as he takes in the contents of the book. "Doctor?" The Doctor is eying the man now, staring unrelentingly.

The Doctor opens the book and starts to read. "A loud, almost deafening cry is haunting my dreams. It's the call. The call of the Beast, but I will not waver…not now…after so much has been lost," The Doctor licks his lips but continues, glancing towards the Captain's face which has become a pale white. "It may be a nightmarish figment…but the call is real. It's taunting me…letting me know when it's coming to claim more lives. Once the call is heard it is inevitable. We must sate its desire or…all perish in its wrath. What have you done, Captain?" The Doctor's voice is heavy. He glances around at the occupants of the room, looking for some indication that they are as horrified as he is, but they aren't. They know. "What have you done? You've let it get into your head. They are telepathic, Captain! It's what they do! What have you done!?" It's almost a roar as he hurls himself towards the Captain. Two soldiers wrap their arms around his shoulder's restraining him. He fights it. Kicks out in desperation.

"What is necessary, Doctor." The Captain hesitates just for a split second. "Take him away."

The two soldiers lift the Doctor off his feet and start to carry him away. "You can't! Don't feed it, Captain! Not anymore! It's getting stronger! Captain, please, listen to me!" The Doctor is escorted from the room, his voice but a hallow echo to the occupants.

"Prepare the…sacrifice." Captain Jarre looks sick as he says it, but the crew get on with it. They always do.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Do you believe in monsters? Not myths or legends or even bedtime stories your parents told you. Real monsters." Piers glances back at the girls briefly as he leads them through the depths of the ship.

"I've seen some things in my time," Emily comments with a small smile.

"What if I told you that…this ship is the home of a monster." Naomi is glancing strangely at the young French soldier. He eyes her cautiously, but reaches a door, spinning the handle and opening it for them. "Are you okay, Miss Campbell?"

"Yeah, fine, err…sorry," she murmurs and steps through the doorway. In front of her lies the engine room. Emily follows shortly after and nudges Naomi, sending her a pointed look and mouths 'Stop it'. Naomi just gives her the finger. Emily can't help but bite back the laugh that wants to escape her. "So, Piers…Piers La Monte, you were talking about monsters?" Naomi asks.

"Yes, a monster lies on this ship…but it is not the only monster I have seen in my life. A beast…" his voice wavers. "So gigantic. So…horrid. I cannot even put it into words."

"A beast?" Emily questions. "Like…a shark or a whale?"

"No. It's like nothing I have ever seen before." Piers' face is etched with guilt and Emily can't help but pick up on it. The blonde to her left is still staring at Piers with a look of complete confusion.

"Piers…you said there were two monsters on this ship. Who's the other one?" Emily knows she's asked the right question when Piers looks up at her with sad eyes, his lips pulling up in an almost devastated smile.

"You saw the body."

"We did," Emily confirms.

"The beast. It wouldn't leave us alone. We survived for days while it was on our trail, but until it was fed…until we fed it…it wouldn't leave us alone."

"Fed?" Naomi's confused voice rings out against the steel walls and Piers looks at her guiltily.

"It's almost like it was taunting us. Following us and showing itself at certain moments to members of the crew, enough to scare us, but not harm us, but then one night that all changed. The beast started to attack, rocking the ship back and forward; it felt ten times worse than a shelling or an enemy attack. That we could cope with, but the power that this monstrosity had was unbelievable." Piers holds up his hands for the girls to stop. They have reached their destination. "The Captain changed…he used to be such a kind man, but that changed as soon as the beast started to hound us. His eyes became restless, his resolve was tested and failed…he became a shell of a man, but he is the Captain and we are his crew. We do what he commands." He opens the door to the engine room and steps through.

"You're feeding it." The dark realisation fills the blonde's eyes and she looks upon her great-grandfather with disappointment. He glances back at the blonde almost like a scared child.

"I will never forgive myself for my part in all of this. I helped at first." He swallows hard. "I won't be anymore."

"Where are you taking us?" Emily steps through the entrance, leaving Naomi the only one not to have stepped through, and pass Piers taking in the contents of the engine room.

"The beast has a routine and tonight is the night it will take another of us."

"How do you choose?"

Piers laughs meekly. "How do a crew of soldier choose to take a life? They follow orders, of course." Emily's eyes soften and she reaches out to comfort the man, squeezing his arm. "I hide down here now when the beast comes. I refuse to compromise myself anymore for the delusions of one man. This is the engine room. The only place that the beast can't seem to harm." He holds out his arms, presenting the room to the girls. Turning to Naomi, he holds out his hand for her to take but she is staring at Piers peculiarly.

"You helped them…" It's disbelief. She thought she knew this man. She thought she knew him from stories that she'd been told; from the kind and loving words of her great Nanna and from the medals she'd see. War wasn't something she ever thought was a necessity, but she understood the necessity of him joining. Occupied France, he had to get out of there and if there hadn't been a war then maybe Naomi would be speaking French right now…but this was so much worse than that.

"I did and I am sorry."

"Naomi?" It's Emily. Her eyes are full of concern. Naomi glances at her and she knows her eyes give away what she's feeling. It's sometimes like Emily knows her better than she knows herself, which is terrifying because she's only been in the girl's company for a short amount of time. At this point in time everything is too much and she takes a step back, her hand coming up over her mouth and moves to turn. "Naomi!"

At precisely the same moment the ship shakes violently throwing the redhead to the ground. "Naomi!" this time it is Piers who roars and he hurls himself towards the girl, pushing her out of the way of a sliding, steel emergency hatch which drops from the ceiling. The wall next to the pair bursts with a metallic crack and water starts to pour into the room. Naomi splutters. She's choking. Water is violently pushing its way down her throat and she fights with all she has to sit up. She can taste something in her mouth…something familiar, but also unfamiliar at the same time. It's metallic. Blood. Her face contorts in horror and her mind jumps to horrible conclusions. Emily. "Emily!" She calls out over the rush of water flooding the room.

"Naomi!" She can't make out where Emily's voice is coming from.

"Where are you?" Naomi calls, standing now in the water, which is slowly beginning to rise. It's up to her ankles now.

"Over here!" A few strong bangs against themetal hatch that Piers had saved her from let's Naomi know that Emily isn't in the room with her. As she makes her way towards the hatch she notices something in the corner of her eye. A large pool of blood and her eyes begin to trail it to the source. Her eyes open in panic as she sees Piers resting against a wall, the pool of blood coming from his leg. "Naomi, are you okay?" Emily calls again her voice becoming distressed.

Her feet carry her over to her great-grandfather and she hunches down next to him. "Oh, fuck." He's really pale. His breaths are coming out in short bursts. Naomi bites her lip and pulls the wounded figure into a hug, a sob escaping her, which she didn't even know she was holding. "I'm sorry."

"Don't…apologise, Miss Campbell." He replies.

"You saved me. You didn't have to save me." His head slowly turns towards her. Her eyes can't meet his so they drop down to his leg. It's missing from just below the knee down. He grimaces and shifts.

"But I did. I…don't know what it is, Miss Campbell, but I feel protective of you. I promised you that I wouldn't let this ship claim you. You remind me of someone I love very dearly…" Naomi's eyes are shining with tears. "I am not an evil man, just an impressionable one, but no more…no more…" his head lulls to the side. It all hits her then. The stories, the pictures, her great nanna's sad face. It's all too much and she can't help but bury her head in hergreat-grandfather's shoulder and weep. Weep in grief, weep for her nanna and weep for her great-grandfather. The impressionable man.

"Naomi, are you okay?" Emily voice calls again. It's softer this time. She's probably heard what happened.

"No." It's heavy, but honest. "He's dead. He's fucking dead." Her voice breaks on the final word. She wants Emily to be in touching distance.

"I'm sorry." Naomi slouches down next to Piers' body. "You're not hurt, are you?"

"No. I'm trapped though…and the water is piling in really fast." It's up to her stomach now, but she won't leave him. Not here. Not like this.

"I'm going to find the Doctor, okay? We…I will get you out of there…I promise, Naomi." She doesn't want to hear any more promises right now. Not if this is the cost but she doesn't say anything. She just listens to the patter of the redhead's feet as they go in search of the Doctor.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

A frustrated sigh leaves the Doctor as he slams his hands against the door of his cell. He begins to pace back and forth. It's not really a cell, just one of the bunks, but there's hardly anywhere to move or think. Emily. His Emily…and Naomi. Where are they? His hand comes up to his forehead and he scrunches his brow in frustration. The steel on this ship is tradition. There is no electricity running through the doors so his sonic screwdriver can't manipulate them in anyway.

"Topac, Topac, Topac…" he mutters to himself. "But how did it get here? A stray?" He energetically runs his fingers against his thumb. "No, Erca…" He reaches into his pocket and pulls out his sonic screwdriver and holds it up towards the ceiling. "Not gone. It's still there. So, why are you here? A disruption in time? Or…oh…" Looking back at the readings on his screwdriver The Doctor's eyes shine with realisation. A meteor. The Topac's gravitational field had got caught on an incredibly low flying meteor. That's what it was doing here. It's been marooned, not by choice, but by circumstance. They may be vicious creatures by nature but he wasn't about to condemn a beast for being home sick.

The Doctor stumbles as the ship shakes. A loud commotion can be heard from above and he carefully places his sonic screwdriver back into his jacket. "The Beastie." The ship rocks harder this time. The handle on the door to his cell turns and the small soldier he recognises as Harry is standing in the archway.

"You have to help us. Please, help us!" Harry's eyes are filled with fear. His gun is fiercely in his hand.

"Impeccable timing, then!" The Doctor advances on the soldier and shakes his hand. "Harry, was it?" The soldier nods his head.

"Yes."

"Did the Captain send you?"

"No."

"I thought not. The beast, it didn't accept the sacrifice this time, did it?" The Doctor says knowingly.

"No! It's mutilating the ship! It's destroying everything. Captain Jarre has gone missing and we can't defend ourselves." The Doctor's hand falls on the soldier's shoulder and calms him.

"Listen to me, Harry, I'm going to do everything I can to stop it, okay? But what I need from you now is to calm down." Harry slowly nods, his eyes never leaving the Doctor's. "Harpoons and rope. Bring me them and give them to all of the crew."

"It won't work. It can't be harmed!" Harry protests.

The Doctor cracks a smile at the nervous man. "Who said anything about hurting it?" He beams and runs out of the room. He pops his head back in and points to the beret on Harry's head. "Can I have that? I lost my one." He hands over the beret and watches as the Doctor adjusts it on his head. "Brilliant! Right, shall we save the world, then?"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"The stairwell is blocked." Emily's voice rings out from the other side of the steel hatch. Naomi could almost laugh. Everything all at once, eh? The water is now just about her chest and Piers' body has slowly begun to slump further down into the seawater. The ship is going down.

"Is this what this is all usually like?" Naomi tries to prevent herself from being bitter but it's hard when she's ended up here. Next to a dead family member.

"What do you mean?" She can hear Emily sliding down the other side of the hatch. She can only assume the girl is leaning back against it.

"How many times have you nearly died in his company?" It's bitter. She tries to stop it, but she can't. Emily doesn't reply straight away though.

"I've lost count." Emily says it in a different way though. Not like Naomi. She's not bitter. She's just accustom to it.

"Why do you stay with him then?" She just doesn't understand. Yes, she's here right now and that makes her seem like a giant hypocrite, but right now she's starting to doubt her decision.

"Because the Doctor gives you something unlike anything else in life. Yes, okay, maybe I have had too many close calls or something awful has happened, but seeing all this stuff. Different worlds, different times, and different people…it's the best thing that's ever happened to me. I feel privileged that he lets me travel with him."

"Privileged? He's not a God, Emily. He just seems to cause pain and suffering wherever he goes. Why can't you see that?" Naomi's eyes are brimming again now as she looks down at her departed great-grandfather. She bites her lips and rests her head back against the cool steel. It won't be long now until she'll have to stand and leave him here. God, she doesn't want to leave him here.

"I'm sorry." But it's the heart-wrenching sob that's attached to it which breaks Naomi's angry resolve. "I didn't mean for this to happen. I just wanted you to come with us because…because…"

"Because what?" She needs to know.

"And now someone you love has died because of me. I'm sorry." Her sobs become louder. More deafening to Naomi.

"Emily, please…" Her voice is breaking now as well. "Don't cry. It's not your fault! It's really not. I'm just being the stubborn moody cow that I am. I don't really blame the Doctor either, although," she raises her voice. "I really wish he would hurry up and save us already!" She looks back down at Piers and smiles sadly. She pulls at the fabric of his jacket and pulls him towards her. Her hand traces lightly over his unshaven chin and she smiles down at him. She didn't want to meet him this way, she didn't want this to happen at all, but Emily's right. The Doctor gave her the chance to see something in the flesh that she would never have had the chance to see before. She reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out a soaking wallet, thumbing the leather clips off it she opens the contents and smiles at what she sees. Her Nanna. A younger, more beautiful version of her, but she'd recognise that face anywhere. "You always kept her close, didn't you?" She whispers. "I'm sorry." She presses a kiss to his temple and slips the wallet back into his jacket…and with that…she lets him go.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

On the deck of the ship the Doctor is busy commanding the soldiers. The water around the boat is almost like a whirlpool, lashing and hissing back at the men who wield harpoons on the sides of the ships. A large, purple tentacle surfaces from the water and then hammers back down sending a huge wave of water crashing down over the men. The Doctor wipes the water from his brow, takes off his beret and twists the fabric in his hand, squeezing the water from it.

"We've got ourselves a beastie, chaps! Do as the Captain Doctor, The Captain Doctor? No, that's rubbish. Do as the Doctor tells you and we'll make sure all of you live to set sail again!" He calls to the soldiers who all raise their harpoons in salute to him. "If you see it! Harpoon it! Now," he clicks his fingers and turns towards Harry who is holding a reel of rope in his arms. "Tie me up, Harry boy!" The Doctor holds his arms out and Harry coils the rope around the man, securing it.

"So what's the plan?" Harry asks.

"The plan? Well, you know, climb up on top of that cylinder over there," he points at the cylinder, which is rocking precariously in the assault of the Topac. "You see the Topac is getting ready to change this worlds climate to match it's one. Those waves? That's just the start. So, to summarise," The Doctor adjusts his beret. "Stop the beastie, make sure all of you live to see another day, find my friends and then…well, maybe go meet the parents…yeah, it's been a while since I've done a house call." The Doctor nods to himself and then tugs on the rope. He grabs the other end and wraps it around his shoulder. "You've been brilliant, Harry." He pats the soldier on the arm. Harry picks up the harpoon to his left and heads over towards the side where a large tentacle is snapping at the men. One of them screams out in agony as it wraps around his ankles and flings him into the abyss, a large abyss, with jagged teeth, swallows him whole. Harpoons bounce harmlessly off its exoskeleton and it roars, that high pierce scream, which is all so familiar. The Doctor glances back at the brave men one more time before advancing on the cylinder.

His hands latch on to the bottom of the ladder which leads to the top of the cylinder and he looks up. It's begun to rain now. The spittle lashes down upon the Doctor and he closes his eyes for a second, taking it in. He won't let anymore people perish. "Geronimo." He mutters to himself before hoisting himself up onto the ladder and starting the slow climb.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Emily…" The water is icy and bitter and her bottom lip is trembling. "I'm so cold."

"Hold on, Naomi, just hold on, okay? He's coming! I promise you he's coming!" She hears the bang against the steel door, which reminds Naomi that the redhead is still there. Still with her. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm never going anywhere."

"Never is a long time." Bitter to the end. Naomi can't help but feel that's a label that's appropriate for her; her ending is looking a lot closer than she imagined but at least Emily is with her. At least someone is with her.

"I'd happily spend it with you." Even in this situation it's those words, and not the impending death, which make Naomi feel like she can't breath. There's barely any room left now and the water is filling up faster and faster, but still she swims towards the hatch pressing her hand against it.

"Thank you." She can hear Emily moving on the other side even over the rushing of water. Emily places her hand over where Naomi's would be on the other side and rests her head against it. "I…I wouldn't take any of it back. I'd do it all over. To be with you."

"Be with me?" Emily questions.

A large screeching howl disturbs the question hanging in the air and Naomi can't help but be the tiniest bit thankful for that. Resting her head against the steel she continues to pump her tired legs to keep herself afloat.

"Do you ever miss them? Everyone back home?" Naomi is definitely missing Cook right now. Her best friend and her mother. Her intolerable, overbearing hippy mother…she just wants to hug them both right now. All four of them…she didn't realise it until now but Emily and the Doctor are there too in her vision of a perfect gathering. All five of them, including herself, sitting in the garden, in the sun, sipping on cocktails, the Doctor has a cup of tea and…Naomi laughs. The Doctor and her mother? That's a sight she'd pay to see. The bloody tweed wearing bastard.

"I miss Katie. So much sometimes. I think it's a twin thing. I call her a lot though…but it's not the same. We always used to do everything together and now she's so far away. I miss my family too but there's issues there and it's been really nice to be away," Emily replies. Issues? Naomi would like to know more. No time like the present.

"Issues?"

"I…erm…" Emily stutters. "I'm gay, Naomi. I'm…gay." Emily laughs to herself in pride. "There! I said it! I'm gay! I love fanny!" Naomi chuckles on the other side. "Sorry." Naomi doesn't have to see the other girl to know that she's blushing.

"No judgement here. Express yourself all you want." Emily laughs in response

"I think I'm good for now, thanks." Emily replies. "What about you? Are you missing anyone?"

"My mum. Christ, I never thought I'd say that and really mean it." She rests her forehead against the steel. "And Cook."

"Cook, really?" Emily sounds surprised.

"Really. He's got a big heart. He's a pig, but he's my pig." Naomi smiles. If he'd been here to hear her say that…

"Sounds like you live on a farm." They laugh together. It's bittersweet they know. Emily's eyes are starting to tear up because she knows that Naomi hasn't got long left. The Doctor really isn't going to make it this time. "How's mother hen?" Naomi rolls her eyes.

"I wish we'd become friends sooner…" and she means it, she really does. She has to say it now. She takes a deep breath. "Because these last couple of days have been amazing. There's not a lot of time left and the water is rising and, just fuck it, fuck it! I'm just going to say it. Emily Fitch—"

"Naomi?" Emily can almost feel like Naomi's hand isn't on the steel anymore. The absence is unbearable. The tears welling in her eyes begin to bubble over and slide down her cheeks. A harsh sob rips from her throat and she begins to sob. Naomi. Naomi's gone. Hunching over she slides down the steel. There's nothing anymore.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The Doctor pulls the knot tight on the rope he has fastened around the middle of the cylinder tower. He combs his hair back neatly with his fingers and then steps back out to the centre of the platform. He reaches into his jacket and pulls out his sonic screwdriver. Taking a second to glance below he looks down to the scene. Half the ship has been devoured by the Topac, its huge gaping mouth laying at the far side. The Doctor stares into its glimmering purple eyes. The swirling pools almost hypnotic, but his mind is stronger than most. Shaking his head he goes back to the job at hand. "It's started." He recognises the voice as Captain Jarre. He's right though…The Doctor can see it. Large chunks of earth are being pulled from deep below the sea's surface, now floating in the sky, and the wind is picking up…causing all of the clusters beginning to rotate. The environment is changing to reflect the Topac's natural habitat. Captain Jarre is standing at the top of the ladder, which The Doctor has just climbed. "You can't stop it." Jarre's eyes are glowing the hypnotic purple…just like the Topac's.

"This isn't you, Captain. You can stop this." The Doctor bellows over the wind, his hair being lashed around furiously.

"I don't want to do that, Doctor. This is it. This is the end." The Captain begins to advance on him with a harpoon in hand.

"That's the Topac speaking! It's infected your mind! You have to push it out Captain, _please, _you have to let me help you!" The Doctor implores. His finger slowly edges over to the button of his sonic screwdriver and he holds it up to the sky.

Jarre raises his harpoon. "Put that down."

"Never." The Doctor has a viciousness about him that seems to unsettle Jarre. Jarre charges towards the Doctor but as he does the Topac's tentacle snaps against the tower, causing both of them to topple under its wrath. The Doctor stops. Just for a second he stops. He closes his eyes and grimaces in pain as the rope around his waist prevents him from toppling over the edge of the tower. He listens to everything. The crashing of the waves, the unrelenting cry of the Topac and the shrill screams of the dying below and then he moves. Pushing himself to his feet he glances over to the screaming Jarre as he falls to his death from the top of the tower and he plunges his sonic screwdriver into the air. "No more death." His words are laced with determination. A green beam ejects from the top of his screwdriver and flies into the sky. "Come on! Come on! Come on!" He eyes the sky but nothing happens. His face drops. No. His feet slowly stagger towards the edge of the tower, as far as the rope will let him, and peers down. His eyes fill with sadness but they find their target. Harry is clinging onto a rail as the ship slowly begins to topple into the mouth of the Topac. He promised he would save them…Emily and Naomi. He's failed everyone….No. A slow smile spreads over his face. No.

The sun breaks through the clouds and it's the best thing the Doctor's seen in a long time. A huge blue beam follows shortly after and latches onto the Topac. It's cries stop. It's tentacles retract. "That's it! Yes! Ha-ha!" The Doctor throws his hands up in the air and laughs happily. "Come and take him home!" He salutes towards the sky and spins on the spot. The ship slowly begins to drop back into a level setting in the water as the gigantic beast is slowly lifted in the sky, consumed by the blue light. The Doctor unties the rope from around his waist and chuckles to himself. The sun is rising onthe horizon. "What a beautiful day." He takes off his beret and throws it down towards the cheering men below him. Time to save his girls.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Emily's eyes are red raw when the whirring of the TARDIS rings out and the Doctor's arms wrap around her, pulling her into a comforting embrace. She buries her head into his shoulders and slaps viciously at his chest.

"Where were you? She's dead! Naomi's dead and you weren't here! You didn't come! You always come!" She pushes away from her beloved Doctor and turns her back on him.

"I'm so sorry." The Doctor's eyes begin to gleam with tears as well. "Emily, please…" It's in moments like this that Emily sees how desperately the Doctor really needs companionship.

"Don't." Emily's voice is harsh and this is the first time she's ever spoken to him like that. The Doctor's shoulders sag. His hand dropping back down to his side.

"Sorry to break up the pity party, but who died?" Emily gasps and turns towards the voice. A thoroughly soaked Naomi is standing staring at the pair. Emily's feet carry her over to the blonde and pull her into a crippling hug.

"You're alive! How?" She pulls back and cups the other girl's face. "I thought you'd died." She hugs her again. Naomi laughs into the redhead's shoulder.

"So did I." Naomi lingers longer than she should in the hug. She takes a deep breath and takes in that all too familiar smell that is Emily Fitch. Christ, is she glad she's lived long enough to smell this again. Emily pulls back and smiles timidly at the blonde, Naomi's eyes are consuming her features with a loving smile, and the blonde doesn't care if Emily knows it.

The Doctor taps Naomi on the shoulder and holds open his arms expectantly. "Sorry to interrupt."

Naomi glares at the man dressed in tweed and crosses her arms. "Don't you ever let me die again." He nods his head solemnly and lowers his arms. Naomi surprises him by throwing herself into the Doctor's body her arms circling his neck in a fierce embrace. "And thank you. For letting me meet him."

"Meet who?" The Doctor asks perplexed. Naomi pulls back and rolls her eyes at the alien in front of her.

"For someone so clever you really can be completely clueless sometimes, can't you?" The Doctor frowns.

"Hey! I resent that! I am not clueless." He peers at both of the girls. "Who are you talking about? Did you meet someone?"

"It doesn't matter." Emily is still beaming at the blonde. "Is it over, Doctor?" The girls are smiling coyly at each other and the Doctor is totally oblivious. He's looking through his pockets in a rushed, confused state.

"Yes, yes, it is. The Beastie has been—have you girls seen my sonic screwdriver? I had it a second ago!" They both shake their head and laugh at his antics. "Hey! None of that laughing business! That Sonic screwdriver is precious to me! It has saved ours, and my, lives more than you could know. Where is it?" He pulls it out of his back pocket with a triumphant grin and places a kiss on it. "There you are, you beautiful thing! Right," he claps his hands and looks between the two girls. "What? What is it?"

"Did you just kiss that screwdriver?" Naomi's eyebrow is arched in surprise.

"Err…well." The Doctor mumbles.

"I think he did." Emily nods and winks at Naomi.

"I think this the first time I've seen you speechless as well. First time for everything, I suppose." The Doctor looks between the two girls.

"Stop it." He warns and they both hold up their hands in defence.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Emily turns away from him with a grin and winks at Naomi again.

"No. This isn't happening. We're not doing the whole the two of you gang up on me routine. It's _my_ TARDIS and there will be no teaming up! Now, come on, let's get off this ship before it sinks to the bottom of the sea. I'll let you know what happened when you get on the TARDIS. Humans." He throws his hand over his shoulder and returns to his ship.

"Think we annoyed him?" Emily asks.

Naomi laughs. "Oh, yes."

"Let's go wind him up some more?" Naomi laughs. Apart from the near-death experiences this was going to be bloody amazing. She takes the redhead's hand and lets her lead her back into the magical blue box.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"A house call?" Emily asks sceptically.

"Yes, 'a house call'," The Doctor shakes his head at Emily disapprovingly. He starts to energetically spin a dial. "We've just saved the world from total destruction, sent a marooned Topac back to it's home world, saved half a crew of a sinking ship and returned them all to their families. I think that that, Miss Fitch, earns us a break, don't you?"

Emily is still staring at the Doctor in confusion as he dances around the TARDIS control panel. "But you've already met Katie."

The Doctor grimaces and Naomi bites back a laugh. "Yes…and she was quite the character indeed, enough for one lifetime in fact," Emily scowls at him. "But I'm not talking about you, missy. I'm talking about the other one." He slings his thumb in Naomi's direction.

"She doesn't particularly either." Emily mutters to herself and crosses her arms.

"The other one? We're not objects!" Naomi pipes up but the Doctor ignores her. Pig. She crosses her arms. "Who says I want to do a…house call or whatever?"

"Wasn't asking permission." He sends a playful wink her way and pushes down on a level hard. "Plus being all seeing I already know that this is a fantastic idea that you can thank me for later. Now, let's go meet the family, eh?" He smiles happily as he grabs onto the control panel. The TARDIS rocking viciously.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The middle aged blonde woman dressed in floral puts the kettle down on the side and smiles to herself. Nothing better than a perfectly brewed herbal tea. Picking up the china cup she brings it to her mouth and takes a long gulp.

"Mmmmm. Lovely." She doesn't have much time to enjoy it though because ofa loud banging on her front door. "James!"

"Yeah, G?" Cook calls from the other room.

"Will you get that for me, love?"

"No chance." Rolling her eyes she puts the tea back on the side and makes her way over to the front door. She see's that a man is waiting on the other side.

"Hello?" She calls opening the door.

"Hello! You must be Naomi's mother, Gina! I'm The Doctor It's lovely to meet you. Naomi's told me so much about you." Now, Gina is known for being a friendly woman but this mysterious man is something else. His eyes are already scanning over every single inch of the house they can fix onto. She looks behind him, confused, to her daughter and her redheaded friend. "Now, have you got any fish fingers and custard? I love fish fingers and custard." He steps past Gina and into the house.

"Naomi. Who is that man?" Gina is watching him in amazement.

"That's The Doctor and this is Emily." Emily steps forward with a tentative smile and holds out her hand.

"Pleasure to meet you, Miss Campbell."

"Lovely to meet you, Emily, dear. Please come in. I've just finished making tea." She pulls the girl in by the hand and Naomi follows with an eye roll. "Naomi's told me so much about you." Naomi's eyes bulge and she sends her mother a death glare, not missing the fact that Emily eyes her curious. Her mother is already leading Emily into the kitchen for what Naomi is sure will be a long chat.

"Naomikins!" Cook's arms wrap around her. "Where the fuck have you been girl?"

"Hey Cook!" Naomi pulls the polo-wearing boy into a fierce hug.

"Who's this?" The pair breaks apart and Cook breaks out into uproarious laughter at the sight of a tweed wearing man eating fish fingers in custard.

"Doctor, this is Cook. Cook this is the Doctor." Cook's still laughing as the Doctor approaches and takes the boy's hand.

"Hello Cook. Naomi's told me absolutely nothing about you. It's lovely to meet you. Fish finger?" He holds it out towards the boy who is still howling with laughter. He shakes his head.

"Nah, I'm alright thanks, "Doctor"."

"Naomi! Bring your friend in here! I've made tea for us all!" Naomi sighs. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. She watches as the Doctor makes his way back over and sits down next to Gina and sniffing at the tea that has been handed to him. Well, she did want this after all. She looks at Emily and suddenly…everything seems fine.

**A/N: Okay, so that turned out to be a lot longer than I anticipated. Well, I hope this helps everyone with the post Fire blues that are going around. Let me know what you think! I appreciate anything you guys have to say. I love you all. See you next time. **


	5. The Devil Inside: Part 1

**A/N: Let me start by apologising for taking so long to get this chapter up! In real life I study film and I'm working on a summer project and it's got very time consuming. I hope you guys like this chapter and thank you all so much for the reviews. I hope this one isn't too complicated, I was just trying to be as Doctor Who as possible **

**Sorry to split the chapters again but these 'episodes' just get bigger and bigger the more I write. I will try and be quicker! Promise!**

**And most importantly, thank you to Miss Peg for betaing. You star.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Skins or Doctor Who. That'd be nifty, huh?**

**Chapter Five: 'The Devil Inside: Part 1'**

Naomi's eyes close in frustration as she listens to her mother prattle on about the benefits of organic produce. It's not that she doesn't think it's a noble cause, it totally is, but she can't help think that it's the last thing the Doctor wants to hear about.

"Tell me more of this 'rainforest alliance'." The Doctor leans forward, his face laced with fascination.

They are all sitting around the table in the kitchen it's incredibly cramped, but The Doctor and her mother are on one side and the teenagers are on the other. Naomi rolls her eyes. Maybe she was wrong. The Doctor and her mum are getting on like a house on fire. She hears Emily let out a soft chuckle next to her and her eyes snap towards the girl. Emily's hand squeezes her thigh, it's soothing, it really is. She's not good at this…social thing. She doesn't bring people home, not even when she was a small child, and never someone quite as bizarre as The Doctor. Not that her mum isn't used to the bizarre sort.

"Chill out." Emily mutters and she tries to send a reassuring smile back in return but she can tell that Emily doesn't buy it.

"Do you wanna get out of here?" Naomi nods. Cook's up for it. More than up for it, he's bloody ecstatic. Emily suggests clubbing. The Doctor has no interest and Gina just waves for them to piss off already.

What could go wrong?

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

The Doctor energetically stirs his teaspoon against the walls of the small china cup that is lying on the table in front of him. He smiles warmly at Gina, who is sipping at her cup of tea, and taps the teaspoon on the rim of the cup when he's finished. Taking a sip he lets out a contented sigh. "Marvellous. Always tea bag first. It's simple."

"Connoisseur of tea, are we, Doctor?" Gina teases.

"Well, I've had my fair share in my days. So, where were we? Oh, yes, I remember," The Doctor shakes his head and laughs to himself. "You were telling me about your travels."

"Well, that was a long time ago now, but it was amazing. How did you know I'd travelled? The world is absolutely fascinating, don't you think? It can be a bit shit sometimes, but most of the time it's—"

"Fantastic," The Doctor finishes for her. Gina laughs along with him and nods.

"Took the words out of my mouth."

"I know a fellow traveller when I see one." He takes another hefty gulp of his tea and then places the empty cup down on the table.

"Ah, yes. Naomi said you were a traveller. Or, well, that she'd been travelling with you. Anywhere exciting? I've been dying to see that girl get out of the house and do something with her life! College and education is great, but there's only so much time you can spend locked in a small room with all that teenage angst bollocks." Gina pushes herself up from out of her seat and takes the two empty cups over towards the sink and begins to wash them.

"Oh, you know, here and there, many beautiful and exotic places but I'd much rather hear about your travels." The Doctor moves over to the counter and stands next to Gina. He picks up a rag that is lying on the counter and takes one of the cups from Gina's hand and begins drying it.

"Me? Oh, there's not much to tell, Doctor. I did a bit of travelling, met a few people, a few pricks, had some good times and then came back to Bristol and had Naomi and, well, here we are." The Doctor looks at the woman with sad eyes. Surely she can't feel so…unimportant. There's no such thing. Not in the Doctor's eyes.

"Don't you want to travel again?"

"Me? No, no…there's nothing out there for me in this world anymore. I'm happy here." Gina nods to herself, almost reassuring. She smiles at the man when he places a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"There's always something more out there, Miss Campbell. Don't you think there isn't." Gina smiles bashfully.

"I can see why she likes you."

The Doctor's face twists in confusion. "Who?"

"Naomi. You're a right charmer, aren't you?"

"I don't know what you mean." The Doctor stumbles back and attempts to return to his seat. He clatters down into it rather unceremoniously and reaches into his jacket pocket, fiddling with something. Gina returns to her seat across from him and smirks at the man.

"Warm smiles, big eyes, charismatic, strong jaw, incredibly intelligent. God, anyone could just eat you up, couldn't they? Bet my daughter's top of that list." The Doctor refuses to catch the blonde woman's eye.

"I…er…" It's rare that The Doctor can't find words to say, in any situation, but this one is particularly perplexing. "No, I don't think I am. Sometimes I'm not even sure Naomi likes me just tolerates me for…" He pauses, realising that he's said too much. There's some truth to what he says though.

"For?" Gina's curiosity is piqued. "For Emily?" Gina flashes The Doctor a knowing smile and he feels himself relax. He's not used to feeling uneasy.

The Doctor smiles back. "I don't know what you mean, Miss Campbell." Of course he does, he's no idiot, but he doesn't betray his friends trust. Not ever. Not even to her mother.

"Please, call me Gina, and I think we all know, Doctor, apart from Naomi herself."

"She'll come around, Gina. She's a clever girl." He says it with genuine affection which makes Gina's heart swell with joy. She's happy for her daughter. Happy that she's finally opening up and making friends. The Doctor's head subconsciously twitches. Something is wrong.

**Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

"Fucking aliens, Blondie! You've got to be kidding me!" Cook slams his hand down on the bar of the noisy club that the trio is currently occupying. Emily had suggested it, not Cook, which was incredibly surprising to the blonde but ever since they'd all had dinner earlier Naomi had been itching to get out of there. Emily could tell. That's something she was growing to love about the small redhead. She just knows what Naomi needs.

"I kid you not. Sifetecs, I think the Doctor called them. The most disgusting things I've ever seen in my life!" She's feeling the effects of the alcohol now. Emily's hazy eyes burn into her from the other side of Cook. It's almost hypnotic, she thinks, as those eyes gently lull her into a comfort buzz.

"So, you did it? You went out and saw yourself some real life fucking aliens." Cook leans against the bar in disbelief. "And with Emilio here!" He wraps his arm around the redhead who is silently watching the pair. She doesn't protest, though. "Fuck me, Naomikins. Way to take charge of your life." He reaches out and pats Naomi on the back of the neck playfully. She swipes his hand away with a friendly smirk.

"Jealous?"

"Of you? Nah, Blondie, you're alright and all but you ain't got nothing on the Cookie monster." Emily snorts at this comment. Cook doesn't take any notice though. "Charm, good looks and a massive cock! The ultimate package!" He waggles his crotch towards Naomi. She grimaces.

"Pig!"

"Your pig," Emily interjects and Naomi glares at the other girl. Cook looks back in surprise at Emily.

"Oh, yeah?" He glances back to Naomi with his eyes almost dancing. "Been talking about me with your new girlfriend, Blondie? All good, I hope?"

Naomi shifts uncomfortably at the use of the word 'girlfriend'. Cook notices it, he may be a dick, but he's not going to dwell and make it awkward for his best friend. He turns back towards Emily and leans on the counter next to her.

"So, Emilio, what's your preference?" He takes a second to gauge her, gently slapping his hands on the edge of the bar. "I'd say you're a Sambuca lass, am I right?"

Emily smirks. "Flaming, actually."

Cook turns his head towards Naomi, who has settled next to him on the bar. "I like her."

Naomi's glad. She really is. She was so worried about Emily's impression of Cook. She could tell the girl had doubts about the kind of person he was, or could be, when it came up…back in 1938. It's ridiculous. All of this, but she's glad it's happened. She watches as Cook wraps his arm around Emily's shoulders and motions for three shots of Sambuca from the barmen. Could this really be her life now?

Cook thrusts the shot glass towards her and she begrudgingly swallows down the sickly sweet tasting shot. She fucking hates Sambuca. It never settles right with her, but she's learned not to argue with Cook when it comes to alcohol because it's about the only thing in life he seems to be right about. "Shall we go and show these fuckers how it's done then, eh? Up for a dance with the Cookie Monster girlies, I promise not to bite…hard." And just like that he's grabbing both of their hands and pulling them onto the crowded dance floor.

He doesn't stick around for long and Naomi doesn't expect him to. Out of the corner of her eye she notices him slinking towards some unsuspecting brunette who is about to come under his thrall.

Her thoughts don't linger on Cook long though because there is the enigma that is Emily Fitch dancing in front of her. Naomi doesn't like to dance. It's just one of those things that she does when she's drunk, but right now, the way Emily is moving her hips, the way the girl is so effortlessly giving herself to the pounding beat of the bass. She's not looking at Naomi, she's not really looking at anything, she's just being. It perplexes the blonde, it really does. She doesn't know how anyone can let go so easily. Her eyes dart over to Cook. He's not the same. He's so insecure, so desperate to hide from the truth, that he pretends to not care with this massive front, but she knows he does. No. There's no one quite like Emily Fitch. So kind, so caring, so unrelentingly brave…not a signal bad bone in her body. No fear about what is happening…or what is to come.

"What?" Emily looks slightly uncertain.

"I…" Naomi's close. There's something different here. It's not the alcohol. She's pretty sure of that, it's like something is flooding her. She feels her inhibitions fading away. She can't help it. "You're so beautiful." She just puts it out there.

"Oh." Emily's head dips in that polite bashful manner that she has and she smiles shyly at Naomi.

Naomi shakes her head, her brow crunches as a sharp pain goes through her head. "Sorry, I didn't mean to…"

"Oh, right, yeah…of course…" It's awkward now. They've stilled on the dance floor, but the club continues to move around them. Her brow scrunches again and she grits her teeth together.

"No, I meant it. I mean it. You're so fucking gorgeous."

Emily's face becomes etched with concern. She reaches out and grips the blonde's arm. "Naomi, are you okay?"

"No." Naomi slowly shakes her head from side to side. It's like something's trying to push itself into her brain. What the fuck is going on? "Yeah, no, sorry, I'm fine." Emily eyes her suspiciously.

"What's going on?"

"Nothing! Come on, let's dance." Naomi pulls Emily towards her by the hand. Emily looks unsure but lets the blonde guide her back towards the centre of the dance floor. She can't let herself go completely this time because Naomi's keeping something from her. She just sways next to the blonde, who is now smiling at her reassuringly, and tries to put her finger on what's different.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The Doctor's eyes snap towards the clock, which is hanging above the kitchen door. "Did you see that?" He doesn't look at Gina as he asks it because he's already moving towards the clock, eying it curiously. Gina seems unfazed and continues to sip at her tea. The Doctor's eyes widen. Tea. Of course. He swivels towards Gina and points his finger at her.

"How much tea have you had? In the last hour or so?"

"I'd say around six cups. Why?" Gina cocks her eyebrow at him and even in this moment where he's trying to figure out something he can't help but think she looks incredibly like her daughter right now.

"Six cups of tea. That's a lot, isn't it? Maybe too much." He strokes his chin thoughtfully.

"You can never have too much, Doctor. Trust me I've tried." She doesn't put the tea down; in fact The Doctor can't help but notice how she sips at her tea again. It's too perfect.

"What time did the girls leave?" He's pacing back and forth now, arms behind his back, slightly hunched forward as his eyes search for the answers that are laid out in front of him.

"Around 10."

"Ah-ha! Yes!" He points to the clock now. "Look! Look at the time!"

"What about it?" Gina's confused.

"We're locked. Trapped in a tiny little bubble of time," He advances on the woman. "Every time the clock strikes three am it reverts back to twelve."

Gina snorts. "My daughter sure does know how to find the crackpots, doesn't she?" The woman laughs shaking her head.

The Doctor's head dips but he makes sure when he looks back up that he catches Gina's eyes. "I'm afraid that I haven't been completely honest with you."

"What do you mean?"

"When Naomi said she'd been travelling…I don't believe she told you to what extent." He gets cut off by his phone ringing in his pocket. He wrestles it from inside his jacket and regards it with an annoyed expression. He opens the flip phone. "Alright! Alright! Hang on!" He presses it to his ear. "Yes? What is it?"

The Doctor's face darkens. "You're sure?"

"What is it? Is it the girls?" Gina's concerned by the look on the Doctor's face. She closes her eyes for a second, her brow scrunching up in pain as a sharp piercing sensation floods it. Leaning forward, she weakly grips at the edge of the table for support.

"Right! Stay there! I'm coming to get you." The Doctor announces, but doesn't know that the blonde woman isstaggering her way towards the kitchen sink. "What do you mean this time? Hey! You shouldn't get yourselves into trouble all the time then I wouldn't have to keep saving you!" The Doctor snaps into the phone and slams it closed. Shoving it back into his pocket he stands. "Your daughter is intolerable at the best of times."

He walks back over to the clock and reaches up for it, wrenching it from it**'**s home on the wall and into his examining clutches. He reaches behind it and slowly tries to adjust the time. The hand just springs back and forth between the hours of 12 and 3. He licks his lips in curiosity.

"What is it, Doctor? What's going on?" Gina's smiling brightly at the man now. She's moved next to him and places a comforting hand his shoulder. The Doctor looks down to the hand and back up to Gina. "You look worried."

"I am worried. We're trapped in time, Gina. Someone or something is trying to encase us, like a trinket in a museum. To be inspected and looked upon whenever the owner deems fit. We have to get out of here and soon. It's all here. The tea, the never-ending conversation, the picture perfect evening. It's all imagined. A mirage of sorts. We've been in here for hours, far longer than we actually realise. It's created to try and lull us in, oh, you are clever whatever you are, but I'm not falling for it!" He cries towards nothing in particular. Gina's hand moves up and curls into the hair on the back of the Doctor's hair

"What are you doing?" He asks in panic.

"Relax, Doctor. You think too much. You've always thought too much." She leans towards the Doctor bringing her lips closer to his but the Doctor puts his fingers onto her lips, abruptly halting their journey towards his.

"'Always'. That's a funny word, isn't it? Words are absolutely amazing things! They convey emotions, meaning and suggestions. 'Always' suggests knowledge; an experience, a knowledge of me, which means we must have met before," The Doctor smiles knowingly at Gina. "Because you're not really Gina Campbell at all, are you? You don't recognise me and I don't recognise you, new faces, but we've met. So, whoever you are, whatever you are, that is choosing to use my friend's mother to try and keep me here I have only one thing to say to you!"

Gina smirks, almost maliciously at the Doctor. "And what's that?"

The Doctor beams at her in return. "Bye!" He waves at Gina and then heads towards the door, reaching for his sonic screwdriver, holding it over the lock of the door. She turns towards him with an amused laugh.

"Oh, Doctor, you are so terribly predictable. A sonic screwdriver? Really? You think I didn't prepare for that. No, that won't get you out of here. You're have to be even bigger and better than that." The Doctor's movement stills and he turns back towards the possessed Gina with a dark look. He slips the screwdriver into his pocket. "So, now that's out of the way," Gina takes her seat back at the table and picks up her cup. "Shall we have another cup of tea?"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Naomi! Naomi, stop!" Emily pushes the blonde away. Naomi pulls the girl closer to her again, needing her closer, taking in her scent. Emily struggles away again. "Stop it!"

"Ems, stop being a spoilsport! I'm just trying to have fun!" When Naomi reaches for her this time Emily's hand lashes out and slaps against the blonde's cheek hard.

"What's wrong with you? This isn't you." Emily tries to walk away, but Naomi grabs her wrist again. Emily's hand comes round to meet Naomi again, but Naomi stops it. Wrenches the redhead close and slams their lips together. Emily's eyes open in shock. She's imagined this situation in so many different scenarios, but this isn't one of them. Her eyes become half lidded, she doesn't want to give in…not like this…but Naomi's soft lips are pressing gently against hers, seeking deeper access and, fuck, if it isn't what she wants so badly. She feels her hand gently trail up the exposed skin of Naomi's arm, resting it gently on her shoulder as the blonde scoots closer to her. Naomi is pressed fully against her now. Her hand is gently tugging at the soft locks that rest on Emily's neck. Emily gives in. She pulls Naomi closer and kisses her deeply in return. She's wanted this for so fucking long.

"You taste amazing, Emsy." Naomi breathes, pulling away for just a second before hungrily attacking the redhead's lips again.

A loud scream erupts from the other side of the dance floor causing Emily to pull away from the blonde. "Did you hear that?" She calls over the beat of the music.

"Hear what?" Naomi looks as if she's in almost a dream like state now. She's started twirling Emily's hair in between her fingers.

"Something's wrong. This is all wrong." Emily's fears are confirmed as the dancing mass still, loud cries and screams spill out of the pulsating beat. People start to back towards the pair. Emily grips Naomi's hand. "We have to run now."

"Don't be silly, Ems! Come on, let's dance!" Naomi giggles.

Emily nearly lets out a growl of frustration, but bites it back. She calms herself and forces a smile. "Yeah, okay, let's dance, Nai, but…let's go somewhere else, yeah? Somewhere private so that it can be just the two of us? How does that sound?"

Naomi bites her lip and considers this. Emily looks frantically towards the source of the scream; the crowd is now slowly starting to push back towards them. Emily rubs her thumb gently over Naomi's hand and presses a brief kiss on the blonde's lips.

"Okay. Let's go." Naomi nods.

Emily leads her towards the stairs. The crowd has begun to erupt into panic now. People are running and screaming. Emily tries to get a good look at what's going on but she's decides to be different. Everyone runs towards the exit, a mass of screaming, fearful people banging at the metallic door, but it doesn't budge. It won't open.

And that's when she sees it. Naomi's behaving too blissfully ignorant to notice, but Emily does. It's so horrifying that she stills herself, midway up the stairs, and just takes it in. She's seen aliens, different planets, different times…a whole world of possibilities…but this is something else. This is something so clichéd that it should never be seen in real life…but it's there. Staring at her, almost hungrily…a zombie. Zombies. Fuck.

"You smell so good, Emsy," Naomi purrs into Emily's ear. Emily backs towards the girl, keeping her eyes on the sight below them, and pulls her close.

"Don't make a sound." Emily's hand comes up to press her finger against Naomi's lip, in an effort to silence her, but Naomi just seductively takes it into her mouth, gently suckling on it. Emily's eyes are still on the group below her. The zombies are ferocious. Gnawing and gnashing at any exposed flesh and bone, ripping the life from youths. Emily's hand slaps over her mouth. She feels sick. There's so much blood. Naomi giggles. Emily's eyes snap open. A lone zombie, on the outskirts of the pack, looks up towards the pair and then hisses at them.

"Run! We've got to run!"

Their feet patter hard against the hallway floor as the zombie follows them. Bursting through the nearby door Emily's eyes dart around looking for a safe place to hide. She spots an open office at the end of the hall, the door is slightly open and Emily surges towards it, dragging the giggling blonde with her. Emily slams the door shut behind her, which slaps straight into the face of zombie that had been chasing them, it's bile spewing all over the small glass window in the door. Emily's hand hastily finds the lock and turns it. She lets out a big sigh of relief and turns her back towards the door, leaning against it for support.

Naomi is sitting in the desk chair, her feet up in the air and she spins herself round and round. She's giggling like a schoolgirl and Emily tries not to lose her temper. She rubs her forehead and breathes out a sigh. What the fuck is wrong with Naomi?

She reaches into her pocket and pulls out her phone. "The Doctor…" She presses the dial button and holds the phone to her ear. "Come on…Come on…Hello? Doctor?"

The door thuds loudly. The zombies are trying to get in. "Listen, I haven't got very long. We're not safe. Something has happened. The people have changed….into zombies." She almost cringes as she says it. It just sounds…rubbish.

"Yes, I'm sure. I know what they look like. Something's wrong with Naomi as well. She's…. acting like she's carefree, which is weird because she's the most uptight person I know. What is this Doctor? What's happening?" The thudding begins to get louder. A low, gormless moan can be heard from the other side of the door"They're trying to get in!" Emily presses her weight back against the door. "Naomi, help me!" Naomi isn't listening. "You've got to come, Doctor. We've got to figure out what's going on! And make sure you come this time!"

She shoves the phone into her pocket and looks around atthe contents of the room for a weapon. Her eyes are drawn to the bright red fire extinguisher hanging on the wall next to the door. Ripping it from its home she takes a step back, waiting for the door to open, raising the fire extinguisher up in a defensive stance. She takes one quick glance back at the blonde who is spinning in her seat before taking a heavy breath. "Come on, you fucks."

The door bursts open, wood chippings splintering off the frame as the decomposed body on the other side throws itself towards the redhead in a hungry rage. Emily swings the extinguisher, driving it hard into the skull of the zombie. Another one roars and launches itself towards her. Her fumbling hands find the nozzle and without thinking she unleashing the contents of it right into the face of the oncoming ghoul. It's no good though. Emily is tackled to the floor; blood-covered teeth are gnashing just a few inches from her exposed neck. She tries to push the zombie off, but it's too strong, all she can do is prevent the inevitable for a few seconds longer.

"Get the fuck off of her!" Naomi's voice rings out smashes a snow globe into the zombie's skull, penetrating its cranium with freshly shattered glass. The being collapses on top of Emily, lifeless. Naomi grabs onto the girl, pulling her out from under the body and into a reassuring hug. "Are you okay?"

"I am now. Thanks." Emily nods. Naomi pulls the girl close and presses her forehead against her own. Her shallow breaths gently mingle with Emily's and she presses a loving kiss to her lips. Emily pulls back, recoiling from the touch. "Stop it. This isn't you."

"This is me," Naomi brings her hands up to cup Emily's cheek. "Before it wasn't, but this is me, Emily. Believe me. I won't let anything happen to you, ever." Emily eyes her suspiciously and in return Naomi kisses her again, tenderly, trying to convey what she's feeling. Naomi brow scrunches in pain and she steps back from the blonde.

"Naomi, what is it? What's wrong?"

"There's something in my head," Naomi sounds so scared and Emily reaches out to grab her, to squeeze her reassuringly. "I can't stop it. It keeps taking over. It's telling me what to do and what to think and…" She stops.

"Naomi?"

Naomi smiles seductively. "Come here, you." Emily pushes her away again. No. This isn't the Naomi she wants. She wants the honest Naomi. The one who was with her just seconds ago. A roar from the other end of the corridor snaps Emily away from the blonde and she rushes for the fire extinguisher. It's not just one though. It's two again this time and they are racing towards her faster than she can anticipate.

A door further down the corridor opens and a sharp whistle echoes down the corridor. One of the zombies continues on towards Emily and Naomi, but the other turns back with a snarl. It runs towards the source of the sound in a vicious rage.

"Naomi! Snap out of it! I need you here now!" Emily hisses, but the blonde isn't listening. "Right, just me, then." As soon as the zombie lunges for her she ducks under it's reach and cracks it over the back of it's head. It drops to it's knees and sinks to the floor. She smirks. Easy.

Wrong. The zombie grabs a hold of her legs and grabs her feet from under her. She groans as her back collides with the hard floor, winding her. She grabs her sides and tries to spin away but the ghoul has a vicelike grip around her ankle, pulling her towards it. She starts to panic, crawling desperately at the carpet in front of her, reaching for everything and anything that she can latch onto to get her away.

"Hey, dickhead. Up here." She recognises that voice. She looks up to see Cook swinging a red fire axe above his head. He brings it down viciously across the zombie's neck, severing it cleanly. The blood oozes out of the wound, leaking so quickly that Emily can feel it pooling around her exposed ankles. With a yelp she crawls away from it. "You alright, Emilio?" Cook's crouching next to her now.

"Yeah, yeah, thanks. Where the hell have you been?" It's not malicious and Cook knows it.

"Doing what I do best. Getting my end away with some lass in the side alley and then boom, all of a sudden all these ghoulies are coming at me left, right and centre. Came looking for you guys soon as." He turns to look at Naomi who's now back in the chair, spinning herself around. "What's up with Blondie?"

"No idea." Emily pushes herself up and gratefully accepts Cook's hand. "She's said something's in her head. Telling her to behave that way."

"Oh yeah?" He looks sceptical. "This the sort of thing that happens around that Doctor of yours?"

"More than I'd like to admit."

"How'd you know that she's telling the truth at all? I mean," He walks over and waves his hand in front of Naomi's face but she doesn't respond. "I ain't ever seen her like this."

"I just know, okay? I know." It comes out a bit more forceful that Emily meant for it to, but Cook doesn't bite, just nods his head.

"Alright, Emilio, what's the plan then?" He scratches his head with the back of the axe.

"Me? Why have I got to come up with the plan?"

"Well, fucked if I know what to do. From what youse two told me this is the sort of shit you deal with all the time. I ain't seen no aliens or other worlds. This is crazy, man, but I figure, you'll know what to do because you've got experience, you know? So, Captain, what's me orders?" He salutes and winks at the redhead. She can't help but think he's ridiculously easy going.

"We've got to find the Doctor."

"Easy peasy. Back to Naomikins' we go then." He moves over to the blonde and starts to lift her out of the chair, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Cookie!" She coos and presses a kiss against his cheek. "You're my best friend."

"You sure she isn't just sloshed? She gets like this when she is," Cook comments but moves towards the hallway.

"No, she hasn't had that much to drink. The Doctor will know what this is. We've just got to figure out how to get out of this building." Emily picks up the extinguisher and follows the pair up the hallway.

Cook raises the axe with a cheeky grin. "Don't worry your pretty little head, Emilio, I got this. Any Zs come our way I'll be putting them down, you can count on that." She believes him as well. Maybe Naomi was right? Maybe he wasn't so bad after all?

"Oh shit," Emily gasps.

"What? What's wrong?"

"I called Katie and told her to come meet us. She could be out there with them right now!" Cook's face darkens. Emily's already reaching for her phone.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"How long are you going to keep me here?" The Doctor is tapping at the table impatiently.

"It's not a nice feeling, is it, Doctor? Hopelessness." Gina, well, she's not really Gina at all, but the being inhabiting Gina leans closer to him, in a taunting. "You feel it so much worse when you don't experience it very often…and you rarely experience it. You must be very frustrated."

"Would you like me to be frustrated?" The Doctor replies.

"The only like I'd like for you to be Doctor is here and you have no choice on that matter."

The Doctor lets out a frustrated growl. He pushes himself away from the table. "Zombies? Why zombies? What's specific about them? I mean, they're not real. They're fictional. Out of all the fantastical beings in the galaxy, why them? Why something so mundane?"

"You think it's only zombies? Oh, Doctor, you really are out of your depth, aren't you?" She replies smugly and it irritates the Doctor. That's not easy task, either. What is this 'being'? Think, Doctor, think.

He sits down again. "Okay, so it's not one singular thing. It's not zombies or the mind possessing." Gina opens her mouth to deny it, but the Doctor waves it off. "Oh, don't pretend I don't know what you're doing. You've infected certain people's mind, Gina is the prime example, but what's the catalyst? Why them and not others? You can't infect me because I'm too intelligent for that, but why not Emily or anyone else? What's so special about them?"

"Barking up the wrong tree, Doctor."

"No, no, no…I'm not. You didn't smirk," he points out.

"What?" Gina asks.

"A micro-expression. It's like in a game of cards, when someone is lying or telling the truth, their subconscious reacts to it. You have a slight smirk. You enjoy being smug, and let's face it so do I, but the reason I'm better than you is because I can control my subconscious, it's the benefit of being a Time Lord. You on the other hand, have a tell." Gina's face drops. She's not pleased at all. "And that tells me that I am in fact 'barking up the right tree'." He stands.

"Sit down, Doctor." He waves her off.

"Shut up, I'm trying to think!" He grumbles in an irritated voice. "What is it? What is it? It's right there, right there and I just can't get it."

"I think you should sit down, Doctor." Gina rises from her seat now, her expression becoming dark.

"Gina is dissatisfied with her life. She wants to travel again, see the world through fresh eyes. Naomi's the same, but younger, it's life imitating life. Ah-ha! Yes! It's inhibitions. You're telling people to let go of them, to take life to the fullest, to devolve into their desires. That's how you're controlling them. They're easily swayed because you're acting as a beacon," The Doctor gasps. "Oh, you are clever."

"Sit down!" Gina roars.

"Or what? You're not going to kill me. If you wanted to you would've by now, no, no, no…for some reason you need me. How are you doing this? It's a beacon. You're the beacon, but you're not the host. My telepathic paper would've felt it if you were. You're projecting a telepathic field supplied by one host onto the human population. You're letting the dark nightmares or fantasies of one individual manifest onto the whole population. Zombies? Oh, that's just start, isn't it? They're going to keep imagining horrors upon horrors and you're just gonna let the world burn! You're the mastermind, but the instrument is elsewhere. You're just the distraction. You're the white rabbit and this is where you lead me on the chase! Well, not anymore!" He walks up to Gina and points directly in her face. "You think you're clever and in some ways you are, but there's one thing, you didn't think about when you choose to lock me in a time loop."

"What's that?"

"Time Lord," he shouts like she's the most idiotic thing in the universe. "Time isn't linear, it's a big ball of time-whimey stuff and because of that it's easy toshape and change. For anyone other than me this would be the perfect prison, but I'm a time traveller." He moves over to where the clock is lying on the kitchen table and picks it up, focusing on it hard.

Gina lets out a harsh cackle. "Oh, Doctor, you think you can will time to change with your mind? Oh, what an ego you have."

"Ego? Oh, yes, but I know that I have enough residual time energy stored in my body to know that I can just think, think long and hard, and will it just enough, that just maybe, maybe, that time energy will allow me to shift time for a second, just for a second, fragmenting the time loop and unlocking it." Gina continues to laugh. She returns to her seat. The Doctor watches the seconds on the clock counting down. His brow creases in concentration.

"Oh, give over already with you. You talk a good game, but it just sounds like a load of bollocks really. You may have figured out some of my plan, but you're too late to stop all of it. So, what? You figured out about my telepath. You'll never find her. Not in time." Gina sips at her tea.

"That's where you're wrong. I will find your telepath. I will stop these nightmarish figments. I will save my friends. I will save this world, and I will be back for you. Whoever you are," he viciously promises, his eyes never leaving the clock. His hand starts to glow with a slight yellow tinge and he presses it against the clock as it strikes three am.

"It's over, Doctor! It's going to revert."

"No," He smirks, throwing the clock towards Gina on the table. "It's not." She looks up towards the Doctor in horror. "Bye!" He beams and launches himself towards the kitchen door and out into the streets of Bristol. Gina lets out an angry roar.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Duck!" Cook roars. Emily follows his command, ducking under the oncoming zombie and his blade as he severs the zombie's head from his torso. "Fucking ace! Go! Go now!" Cook points towards the door at the front of the club. Emily heaves herself and Naomi towards it. Cook runs ahead and boots the door open. He waves them through.

The cracking of bones makes Cook turn back to the interior of the club. A group of zombies are slowly descending towards him. He gives them the finger and slams the door closed. He holds it with one hand and looks around for something to lock in with. "Emilio! Get me something to block this door with! Now!" He hisses. Emily scampers round to the side of the building and returns with a plank of wood. He wedges it through the handles and lets out a sigh of relief…but it's not over yet.

They're on the streets of Bristol now and it's complete chaos. Cars are aflame, people are running and screaming and even more hordes of the undead are roaming the streets. "Fuck this…" Cook breathes and then grabs Emily's hand, leading her into the side alley of the clubs. "Listen up, Emilio, cuz I'm only gonna say this once. We've gotta split."

"What? No, Cook. We've got to stay together. Naomi can't fight." Emily's shaking her head. No way is Cook going anywhere.

"Exactly, Red. There's no way we're getting past that group of them out there if we stay together. Naomikins is my best friend, yeah? I don't wanna hurt her, ever, and she doesn't wanna see you hurt. If I let that happen she'd find a way to come back and kill me herself, yeah? So this is what's gonna happen and no arguments. I'm gonna go out there and distract them and you're gonna take Blondie to your Doctor and fix all this shit."

"No." Emily grabs his hand. "You'll die."

"Nah, no one can kill the Cookie Monster, babe, trust me." He pats her on the shoulder and turns to Naomi. He presses a brief kiss to her forehead. "Stay safe, Blondie." He pushes himself to his feet. "Oh, you take this. Just in case, yeah?" He hands Emily the axe.

"You don't have to do this." Emily's eyes are watering now. She never knew he could be like this. She doesn't want him to die, no matter how bad people say he is.

"Yeah, I do," he nods to himself. "I really do."

"You're a lot nicer than people make you out to be, aren't you?" Cook winks at her.

"Our little secret, yeah?" Emily nods with a watery smile. She stands and wraps her arms around the boy.

"Don't die…and if you see Katie—"

"I'll make sure to send her your way, Red." He unwraps himself from the little redhead's embrace. "She chose wisely." And like that he's gone. Emily watches the boy as he exits onto the street, finds a rock, throws it towards the zombies and waves his arms frantically. They chase him. What did he mean by that? She doesn't have time to dwell though she's got to get Naomi to the Doctor and fix all this mess…whatever it is.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Her. The being had slipped up and said it was a her. So the telepath was a her. If I was an evil being looking to plague the world with evil figments where would I hide the telepath that was producing those visions? The Doctor runs his hand across his jaw as he makes his way through the manic streets. Keep her close? No. That's too obvious. In their human? That was assuming they were human, of course. Maybe they weren't? No. They were. The Doctor just had a feeling. Out of sight, out of mind…where would you never look for someone? You'd check their homes, all their known addresses, ask the police, contact their friends, their job….but there's nothing to go on. Damn.

His eyes widen. He sees a ferocious little redhead fighting back and forth with a zombie. "Emily! Emily!" he roars as he runs towards the figures. The redhead pushes the zombie to the floor and then stamps her high heel through his skull.

"Gross! I just got these you twat!" He stops dead in his tracks. Oh no. Not Emily. Katie. Katie Fitch. Katie is shaking brains off the heel of her shoe with a look of disgust when she spots the Doctor. She marches towards him with anger etched on her face. "You! I knew you'd show up sooner or later! Where the fuck is my sister?"

"Hello Katie," He waves meekly.

"Don't 'hello' me. We're not friends, you raggedy twat. How did I know you'd be responsible for this? Take me to my sister, like now, yeah?"

The Doctor shakes his head. Katie Fitch… hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

**A/N 2: Okay, so that's it for now. Katie and The Doctor, what's happened there previously? I hope you guys liked this chapter. The second part will be up next week. Thank you for any reads and reviews, they are really awesome and I love you all. Please let me know what you think or if you have any suggestions. **


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